53 Self-Object Relational Trauma in Black South African National Defence Force Soldiers’ Families: A Study of Secondary to Persistent Combat-related Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2752-6585/2024/v4n2a3 Sharon Sibanda Department of Psychology, University of Johannesburg, Corner Kingsway and University Road Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2092 Email: ssibanda@uj.ac.za Abstract The history of studies on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has its origins in combat exposure. South Africa has a politically violent combat history between statutory and non-statutory forces, which are now integrated into a unified South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Despite ongoing combat trauma, there have been very few psychological studies or comprehensive treatment models that have addressed military family dynamics in Africa. The study comprised nine Black members (n=9) in SANDF whose lived experiences of continual traumatisation and its influence on family relationships were explored. The study was grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology, which asserts that knowledge is produced through interpretation. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This approach aimed to illuminate the familial relational trauma experienced by Black SANDF service members as a result of persistent combat-related complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). The findings revealed how the soldiers employed rigid psychic defenses in an attempt to ameliorate African Journal of Sociology, Psychology and Rural Studies (AJOSPRS) ISSN 3049-9593 (Print) ISSN 3049-9607 (Online) formerly African Journal of Sociological and Psychological Studies (AJOSAPS) E-ISSN 2752-6585 (Online); ISSN 2752-6577 (Print) Indexed by IBSS, SABINET and EBSCO Volume 4, Number 2, December 2024 Pp 53-73