Limitations of benefit finding as a coping mechanism for combat-related PTSD symptoms

Benefit finding has been identified as a buffer of the combat exposure-PTSD symptom link in soldiers. However, benefit finding may have a limited buffering capacity on the combat-PTSD symptom link over the course of a soldier's post-deployment recovery period. In the present study, soldiers ret...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military psychology 2023-05, Vol.35 (3), p.233-244
Main Authors: Wood, Michael D., Foran, Heather M., Britt, Thomas W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Adult
Arousal
Avoidance Learning
benefit finding
Combat Disorders - psychology
Combat stress
Correlation of Data
Female
Humans
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Male
military
Military deployment
Post traumatic stress disorder
posttraumatic growth
PTSD symptoms
Regression Analysis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
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Summary:Benefit finding has been identified as a buffer of the combat exposure-PTSD symptom link in soldiers. However, benefit finding may have a limited buffering capacity on the combat-PTSD symptom link over the course of a soldier's post-deployment recovery period. In the present study, soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) were surveyed at two different time periods post-deployment: Time 1 was 4 months post-deployment (n = 1,510), and Time 2 was at 9 months post-deployment (n = 783). The surveys assessed benefit finding, PTSD symptoms, and combat exposure. Benefit finding was a successful buffer of the cross-sectional relationship between combat exposure and PTSD reexperiencing symptoms at Time 1, but not at Time 2. In addition, the benefit finding by combat interaction at time 1 revealed that greater benefit finding was associated with higher symptoms under high combat exposure at Time 2 after controlling for PTSD arousal symptoms at Time 1. The results of the present study indicate that benefit finding may have a buffering capacity in the immediate months following a combat deployment, but also indicates that more time than is allotted during the post-deployment adjustment period is needed to enable recovery from PTSD. Theoretical implications are discussed.
ISSN:0899-5605
1532-7876
DOI:10.1080/08995605.2022.2112884