The Experience of Providing Support to a Friend or Family Member with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect not only the person who experiences the disorder but also the friends and family members who provide ongoing emotional, practical and relational support. This study explored the experiences of people providing support to a friend or family member with PTSD. Methods A qualitative design was used to examine naturally occurring narratives posted on two UK-based online forums. The dataset comprised 31 comments drawn from 23 PTSD-related threads. Eligible comments described experiences of supporting a friend, partner or family member with PTSD, and comments associated with authors younger than 18 years were excluded. The material was analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Results Four interconnected themes were identified: (a) detrimental impacts on physical and mental well-being, (b) emotional struggles, including self-rejection and anger, (c) the importance of seeking support, and (d) experiences of confusion and hardship. Narratives described psychological and physical deterioration, guilt, depression, neglect, loneliness, inadequacy, rejection, anger, exhaustion, financial strain, uncertainty and relationship difficulties. Participants also described the importance of help-seeking, self-care and maintaining other sources of support. Conclusion Providing support to a person with PTSD may involve substantial emotional, psychological, physical, relational and practical demands. Support systems should therefore recognise informal support providers as people with needs of their own while avoiding assumptions that the present qualitative findings represent all people supporting someone with PTSD.