Dyadic trust as a mediator in the association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and relationship distress in community couples

Background: Trust is an important component in romantic relationships. However, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) can alter an individual’s appraisal of others resulting in difficulties with interpersonal trust. Indeed, prior literature has established associations between PTSS and trust, and relations between trust and relationship distress. Even so, there is a dearth of research examining the association between PTSS and trust specifically within ones’ romantic relationship as well as how dyadic trust may help explain the relation between PTSS and overall relationship distress. Method: This study examined a sample of 57 opposite-sex adult community couples where at least one partner had a lifetime history of trauma-exposure. Mediated actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIMeM) examined the intraindividual and interpersonal pathways in the association between PTSS and relationship distress as well as potential sex differences. Results: Findings demonstrated actor and partner effects between dyadic trust and relationship distress; however, males’ dyadic trust was only marginally associated with their female partners’ relationship distress. Sex differences were demonstrated in the relation between PTSS and dyadic trust whereby females’ dyadic trust was related to their own and their partners’ PTSS. There was a partner effect between females’ PTSS on their male partners’ relationship distress but not from males’ PTSS to females’ relationship distress. Finally, females’ dyadic trust was supported as a full mediator between PTSS and relationship distress for all pathways in the model. Conclusion: There is a unique effect of females’ dyadic trust on the relation of PTSS and relationship distress. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.