Date of Award

2013

Degree Name

Psychology

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

Psy.D.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Marc Lindberg

Second Advisor

Billy Rutherford

Third Advisor

April Fugett

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a response to a traumatic stressor encompasses re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Although many individuals will experience a traumatic stressor in the course of a lifetime, only a fraction fully develop PTSD. The purpose of this dissertation was to inform the question as to why some develop PTSD as a response to combat exposure and others do not. This study used the PTSD Checklist – Military Version (PCL-M), Trauma Symptom Inventory - 2 (TSI-2) and the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ) to test if secure partner attachments predict PTSD severity, anger, and somatization. These models were not statistically significant. However, exploratory analysis revealed that poorer peer relationships and a withdrawal pattern of social engagement significantly predict PTSD according to the TSI-2 TRAUMA factor score, R2 = .41, F (2, 19) = 6.56, p = .007. These results suggest that better peer relationships may buffer the negative effects of combat exposure. Treatment implications and future research questions are discussed.

Subject(s)

Post-traumatic stress disorder- Psychological aspects.

Soldiers - Psychological aspects.

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