Posttraumatic distress and growth among wives of prisoners of war: the contribution of husbands' posttraumatic stress disorder and wives' own attachments.

This study examined distress and growth among wives of former combat veterans and prisoners of war (POWs), and the contribution of their husband's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the wives' own attachment style to these outcomes. Two groups of wives participated in the study: 87 wives of former POWs, and 74 wives of control veterans. The wives of POWs reported significantly higher levels of distress and growth than did the wives of the controls. Husbands' PTSD symptomatology, as well as higher levels of avoidance and anxiety dimensions of attachment, contributed positively to distress and to growth. Further studies on the unique predictors of growth are needed.