"Living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can strain any relationship—sometimes to the point of violence against a loved one. University of Arkansas psychologist Matthew T. Feldner, Ph.D., is part of two national research projects aimed at preventing relationship aggression in couples coping with PTSD and treating this type of aggression when it has already developed.
“The main aims of these projects are to reduce the number of new cases of interpersonal violence and reduce the number of cases already existing,” Feldner says. “We teach couples skills for better relationship behaviors, such as how to communicate better and how to manage anger.”
All people receiving these interventions will be closely monitored and referred for more intensive individual therapy should the need arise. Rather than going back to focus on the roots of the PTSD, Feldner says the couples in these interventions “will focus on the here and now of how the PTSD is affecting their relationship.” While teaching couples about the features of PTSD and improving their relationships, the group treatment can also serve as a gateway to further treatment for PTSD and other services.
If these interventions succeed in preventing or treating relationship aggression, Feldner says that these would be groundbreaking, landmark projects. “Ultimately, we are hoping we can conduct these interventions in such a way that they could be useful for the VA and could be extended to community populations as well, for situations that are not specifically military,” Feldner says."
— Source: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
