UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

Combat related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common type of trauma. Veterans with PTSD often times have conflicts with their interpersonal relationships. Recent research suggest that the worsening of PTSD symptoms will put veterans at risk for more interpersonal relationship conflicts, therefore treatment programs are needed in order to minimize them both. This paper first considers studies of the importance of a good social support and then looks at studies underlining the significance of a positive family functioning for minimizing PTSD symptom clusters. It will also address other studies that have looked into different factors such as comorbidity and domestic violence. The examination of these treatments points out limitations and suggest the need for future research to look into the long term effects of the treatments and also focus on addressing and evaluating other factors that may play a role in the effectiveness of treatment programs. As well as creating programs that are not just for veterans, but also for soldiers that are returning from deployment.