Daily Social Support and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Mothers with a History of Interpersonal Trauma: Examining Bidirectional Associations

Abstract

Social support is widely recognized as a protective factor against the development of various mental health disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is ongoing debate about whether social support has an ameliorative effect on PTSD symptoms over time, or if PTSD symptoms influence solicitation and satisfaction with social support, with some studies suggesting a bidirectional association unfolding long term. In the short term, PTSD symptoms are known to fluctuate daily and even within hours, but less is understood about the contributions of daily social interactions to these fluctuations. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the bidirectional association between PTSD symptoms and satisfaction with daily social support in an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study. A sample of 80 community-recruited mothers with clinically diagnosed PTSD reported their daily PTSD symptoms and perceived social support satisfaction over a one-week period. Results of dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM), accounting for relationship status and income, revealed that PTSD symptoms did not predict next-day social support satisfaction, but higher social support satisfaction did predict reduced next-day PTSD symptoms. These findings align with theories suggesting that social support buffers against the development and exacerbation of PTSD symptoms. Results highlight the need to design just-in-time adaptive interventions for PTSD that promote high-quality social interactions to mitigate daily PTSD-related distress.