The effects of coping strategies on PTSD in victims of a terror attack and their spouses: Testing dyadic dynamics using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Objectives: The study examined the effect of victims' and spouses' coping strategies on PTSD in victim-spouse dyads, using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Method: A total of 72 dyads consisting of injured victims who were exposed to terror attacks, and their spouses who were not injured, participated in the study based on lists prepared by the "One Family" organization in Israel. PTSD symptoms were assessed using PSS-SR, and coping strategies (emotion-focused and problem-focused) were assessed by means of the COPE measure. Results: The APIM model showed that spouse's emotion-focused coping impacted victim's and spouse's PTSD, and victim's gender impacted spouse's PTSD. Conclusions: Spousal emotion-focused coping is a significant factor in both victims' and spouses' PTSD, while problem-focused coping is not.