A new Penn State study uncovers the role of PTSD and fear of emotions in disrupting communication between romantic partners, highlighting the need for integrated treatment approaches.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can severely disrupt communication and issue resolution in romantic relationships, according to new research led by a team at Penn State University. The study identifies fear of emotions as a critical factor contributing to these difficulties.
Conducted by Steffany Fredman, an associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, and her colleagues, the study analyzed data from 64 opposite-sex couples who had both experienced traumatic events. The researchers focused on the participants’ PTSD symptoms, their fear of strong emotions and their communication patterns.
The results, published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy, revealed that individuals with higher levels of PTSD symptoms also had a greater fear of their emotions, leading to less constructive and more unproductive communication with their partners. This discovery sheds light on why individuals with PTSD often struggle with interpersonal relationships.
“In this study, we were trying to understand why people with PTSD symptoms have trouble resolving relationship difficulties with their romantic partners,” Fredman said in a news release. “Generally speaking, people with PTSD view themselves and other people negatively, and the resulting mistrust, anger, avoidance, withdrawal and emotional numbing put strain on their romantic relationships. Experiencing your feelings, trusting people and connecting with others are all important ingredients for healing from PTSD.”
Fredman emphasized that PTSD can create a vicious cycle. Symptoms such as aggression, avoidance, withdrawal and emotional numbing can strain relationships, which in turn can maintain PTSD symptoms. This cycle continues unless effective interventions are applied.
To address this, Fredman has co-developed couple-based treatments for PTSD aimed at breaking this cycle. With strong emotions often acting as trauma triggers, people with PTSD might perceive emotionally charged interactions in their romantic relationships as threatening, prompting them to engage in behaviors like aggression or withdrawal to neutralize the threat.
The study involved interviewing participants about their PTSD symptoms and emotional fears and examining their communication styles. The researchers found that those with higher PTSD symptoms were more likely to fear their emotions and engage in unproductive communication patterns like demand/withdraw interactions. In these interactions, one partner demands attention while the other withdraws, exacerbating conflict and leaving issues unresolved.
“When we only looked at PTSD symptoms and communication without considering a person’s fear of their emotions, there were relatively few direct connections we could identify,” Fredman added. “When we looked at the connections between PTSD symptoms and fear of emotions and then examined the connections between fear of emotions and communication styles, the connections became clear. This suggests that fear of emotions is an important influence on the communication style of couples where one or both people have PTSD symptoms.”
This finding has significant implications for treatment. Fredman pointed out that understanding the fears associated with emotions could enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.
Previous research by Fredman and her colleagues showed that couple therapy could reduce PTSD symptoms and improve communication within a single weekend.
“Other research we conducted has shown that couple therapy can effectively reduce PTSD symptoms and improve relationship communication, even in just a single weekend,” Fredman added. “This latest study reveals more nuance about how PTSD symptoms, fear of emotions and communication difficulties are connected and why they should be treated at the same time.”