Associations Between PTSD Symptoms and Parenting Satisfaction in a Female Veteran Sample

ABSTRACT The goal of this brief article is to examine the relationships between the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters and parenting satisfaction in a sample of 60 female veterans of the Vietnam war who had biological children. Significant negative relationships were found between the avoidance/numbing and hyperarousal clusters of PTSD symptoms and parenting satisfaction. The association between hyperarousal and parenting satisfaction remained significant when each of the PTSD symptom clusters were examined together as predictors, and controlling for partner violence. Results suggest that higher levels of certain PTSD symptoms may adversely affect women's satisfaction in the parenting role.