title: Partner accommodation in posttraumatic stress disorder: initial testing of the Significant Others' Responses to Trauma Scale (SORTS).
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with myriad relationship problems and psychological distress in partners of individuals with PTSD. This study sought to develop a self-report measure of partner accommodation to PTSD (i.e., ways in which partners alter their behavior in response to patient PTSD symptoms), the Significant Others' Responses to Trauma Scale (SORTS), and to investigate its reliability and construct validity in 46 treatment-seeking couples. The SORTS demonstrated strong internal consistency and associations with individual and relationship distress. Accommodation was positively correlated with partners' ratings of patients' PTSD symptoms, patient self-reported depressive and trait anger severity, and partner self-reported depressive and state anger severity. Accommodation was negatively correlated with patient and partner relationship satisfaction and partners' perceived social support received from patients. Findings suggest that accommodation may be an attempt to adapt to living with a partner with PTSD but may have negative implications for patient and partner well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, 315 Health and Human Development East, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Electronic address: sjf23@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Steffany J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Fredman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada. Electronic address: valerie.vorstenbosch@psych.ryerson.ca.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vorstenbosch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada. Electronic address: anne.wagner@psych.ryerson.ca.
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Women's Health Sciences Division, National Center for PTSD, 150 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, USA. Electronic address: alexandra.macdonald@va.gov.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada. Electronic address: candice.monson@psych.ryerson.ca.
authors.forename: Candice M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Monson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Accommodation; Couples; PTSD; Partner; SORTS