Secondary Traumatization and Marital Adjustment among Former Prisoners of War Wives

We aimed to assess the associations between secondary traumatization (ST) and perception of husbands’ posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and marital adjustment among wives of former prisoners of war (POWs). Wives of Israeli ex-POWs and wives of a matched control group of combat veterans were assessed using self-report measures. Ex-POWs’ wives reported higher levels of ST and perception of their husband's PTSS and lower levels of marital adjustment compared with veterans’ wives. Both attachment avoidance and family boundaries were associated with marital adjustment. In addition, family boundaries moderated the relationship between wives’ attachment anxiety and marital adjustment. Implications for research and practice are discussed.