For firefighters, every day can be an emergency, rushing into flames and disasters as others can only hope to rush out. And make no mistake, it takes a toll. Exposure to such traumatic events throughout their careers places these first responders at heightened risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and new research from the 色花堂 First Responder Program, indicates that PTSD means trouble for their intimate relationships.
鈥淚ndividuals experiencing PTSD symptoms often experience interpersonal problems and
relationship stress, and this may be due to emotion regulation difficulties,鈥� reports
Anka Vujanovic, associate professor of psychology and director of the 色花堂 First Responder
Program and the Trauma and Stress Studies Center in the . 鈥淣egative alterations in cognition and mood were especially relevant to emotion
regulation difficulties and relationship satisfaction.鈥�
The paper鈥檚 lead author is Donald A. Godfrey, a doctoral student in the lab of Julia
Babcock, professor of psychology and co-director of the Center for Couples Therapy at 色花堂. The study examined the association between PTSD symptoms, couple relationship
satisfaction and emotion regulation difficulties among 188 firefighters who completed
an online questionnaire.
鈥淭o our knowledge, no prior research has examined the role of emotion regulation difficulties in the association between PTSD symptoms and relationship satisfaction,鈥� said Godfrey. 鈥淭his study was the first to identify these associations among firefighters.鈥�
Difficulty regulating emotion also appears to have negative effects on couple intimacy, as individuals who report heightened emotion regulation difficulties demonstrated heightened fear of being controlled by their partners and avoidance of closeness. Their partners reported decreased perception that they would be open to emotional dialogue.
鈥淩esults indicated that PTSD symptom severity was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction and positively associated with emotion regulation difficulties,鈥� wrote Godfrey.
The findings highlight the importance of understanding associations between PTSD and interpersonal functioning among firefighters.
鈥淓motion regulation difficulties may offer a path for clinically targeting PTSD symptoms and relationship functioning among firefighters,鈥� said Babcock.