War Captivity: Associations with Spouses’ Distress and Marital Relationships

In this chapter we present cumulative evidence about the psychological and interpersonal ramifications of war captivity on Israeli former prisoners of war (ex-POWs). Specifically, we address the associations between ex-POW husbands’ posttraumatic distress (i.e., PTSD) with their wives’ secondary traumatization. We also present findings from recent studies of both partners assessing their mutual and bidirectional influences regarding both distress and marital adjustment. Clinical implications and directions for future research in the field are presented.