ABSTRACT
Objective To examine the multiple mediating roles of veterans' disclosure and intimacy as well as their wives' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the relation between veterans' PTSD and wives' posttraumatic growth (PTG). Methods Self-report questionnaires were used to investigate 287 Israel veterans who fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and 166 wives of these veterans. A structure equation model analyzed the multiple mediating effects. Results Veterans' PTSD had a significant and positive effect on their wives' PTG before inclusion of the mediators. However, after inserting the mediators (i.e., veterans' disclosure and intimacy and wives' PTSD) the direct effect of veterans' PTSD on their wives' PTG became non-significant. In addition, veterans' PTSD had a 1-step indirect effect on their wives' PTG through wives' PTSD, and veterans' PTSD also had a 2-step indirect effect on their wives' PTSD through the path from veterans' disclosure to veterans' intimacy. Conclusion The results indicated that veterans' disclosure and intimacy as well as their wives' PTSD mediate the relation between veterans' PTSD and their wives' PTG.