Addressing Posttraumatic Stress Among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and Significant Others: An Intervention Utilizing Sport and Recreation.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing "couples" adaptive sport and recreation program called Higher Ground developed by Sun Valley Adaptive Sports to reduce symptoms of PTSD, facilitate posttraumatic growth, and enhance marital satisfaction for veterans with PTSD and their significant others. The sample consisted of two experimental groups (Group A five couples, Group B six couples) and a control group (six couples). ANCOVA analysis indicated significant decreases in PTSD symptoms and increases in marital satisfaction among the experimental groups following participation in the recreation program. Findings support the use of recreation programs to help veterans with PTSD and their significant others, through specific program elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]