People who have suffered trauma oftentimes dull their emotions and feel detached from others. They sometimes distance themselves from others and their own thoughts of the traumatic event. They do not do this on purpose. When family members reach out to help, they are sometimes ignored or rejected. After which family members may become resentful or angry toward their loved one. This often triggers the person to become more withdrawn. Eventually this need to detach may lead to substance abuse, or loss of a job by their own actions. Some family members may feel guilty that they cannot help their loved one.
Other people with PTSD may act out in an angry aggressive manner. Their trauma may get trigged by seemingly nothing – when in reality it is an experience that causes the individual to recall the previous traumatic memory, (the trigger itself need not be frightening or traumatic), and it can cause the person to re-experience the original event. It can activate the original feelings and responses in the form of intrusive thoughts, negative emotions, negative self-referenced beliefs, and unpleasant body sensations. The family members may witness these events or be the target of them thus causing them trauma.
Research has shown that PTSD in one family member can affect the family dynamics and have a negative impact on other individual family members. People with PTSD have more marital problems than those without. Children of those with PTSD have more anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems than other children. Other problems experienced by individuals with PTSD, like substance abuse and neglecting healthy eating and exercise can have unintended harmful consequences on family members too.
