Parenting Practices and Satisfaction among Israeli Male Veterans: The Roles of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Mentalization

The scientific exploration of possible mechanisms that may account for the association between exposure to potentially traumatic events during military service and paternal parenting of veteran fathers is severely lacking. This study examined associations between combat exposure, military-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), parental practices, and satisfaction among veteran fathers. Furthermore, we examined the mediating role of mentalization in the association between PTSS parental practices and parenting satisfaction. Participants in this study included 495 fathers, who were discharged Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) veterans from two groups: combat veterans (n = 323) and non-combat veterans (n = 172). Participants completed a set of validated self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional design study. Results indicated that veterans with elevated PTSS (i.e., scoring above the PCL-5 cut-off) reported poorer parenting supervision and lower levels of parenting satisfaction and mentalization, compared to veterans who scored below the PCL-5 cut-off. Furthermore, PTSS is negatively associated with parenting satisfaction. Moreover, a mediation analysis showed that PTSS indirectly contributed to inconsistent parental discipline via lower levels of mentalization. Our findings imply that it is not the mere exposure to combat, but rather the PTSS, that negatively affects veterans’ parenting practices and satisfaction. Clinical implications discussed include the ripple effect of PTSS on parenting, and the importance of improving the mentalization of veteran fathers.