title: Life satisfaction in people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is limited research on the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and life satisfaction in community samples. We set out to investigate levels of life satisfaction and its demographic, trauma related and clinical predictors in a sample of people with PTSD (n = 46).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed a battery of standardised self-report measures including Satisfaction with Life Scale, the PTSD Checklist and The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results indicated that people with moderately severe PTSD in the community are likely to experience lower levels of life satisfaction compared with those with other psychiatric conditions or those without any diagnoses. Multivariate analysis revealed that marital status and trauma symptoms were the only significant predictors of life satisfaction. In specific, being married and presenting with less severe posttraumatic symptomatology were both significantly associated with higher levels of life satisfaction in people with PTSD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The strong association between traumatic symptomatology and life satisfaction may indicate that routine assessment for life satisfaction or similar positive constructs in people with PTSD, referred for psychological therapies might be useful. Information on positive psychology constructs may facilitate capitalising on clients' strengths and not just on pathology.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Life and Social Sciences and NHS Lothian, Clinical Psychology Department , Edinburgh Napier University , Edinburgh , UK.
authors.forename: Thanos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karatzias
authors.forename: Zoë
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chouliara
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Power
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Millia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Begum
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McGoldrick
authors.forename: Rory
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: MacLean
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*