The Unique Roles of Emotional Numbing and Arousal Symptoms in Relation to Social Connectedness Among Military Veterans in Residential Treatment for PTSD

Abstract

Objective: While poor social connectedness is often a consequence of living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, little is known about whether PTSD symptom clusters may be uniquely related to different aspects of social connectedness. This information can inform case conceptualization and treatment planning to potentially facilitate sustained recovery for individuals with PTSD. Method: We examined associations among a five-factor model of PTSD and two aspects of social connectedness—distress related to problems getting along with others and days of contact with supportive loved ones in the past 30 days—in a sample of 2,600 U.S. military veterans seeking residential treatment for PTSD. Results: A large proportion of veterans reported experiencing distress related to problems getting along with others (66.2%) and few days of contact with supportive people (43.5%). Ordinal regression models controlling for intercorrelations among PTSD symptom clusters revealed that emotional numbing symptoms were independently associated with greater distress (β = 0.130, p < 0.001) and fewer days of contact (β = −0.159, p < 0.001); dysphoric arousal symptoms were associated with more distress (β = 0.236, p < 0.001), while anxious arousal was associated with more days of contact (β = 0.058, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Findings reveal high rates of difficulties in social connectedness and distinct associations among these difficulties with emotional numbing, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal symptoms in veterans receiving residential treatment for PTSD. Future studies should examine whether targeting poor social connectedness during treatment improves interpersonal functioning and supports sustained trauma recovery, which may be particularly beneficial to veterans with more severe emotional numbing and dysphoric arousal symptoms.