According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), about 25 percent of vets returning from the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are suffering from PTSD. That’s about 500,000 veterans. If we include family members, that number more than doubles. 
Not surprisingly, returning veterans—particularly those with PTSD—have a higher divorce rate than non-veterans. And in the past few years, we’ve lost more American servicemembers to suicide than to combat. But now, University of Utah researchers Timothy Smith and Catherine Caska are confirming what your family–and many others—have known for quite a while: While PTSD initially affects veterans, it can also have a powerful impact on their spouse.
