scholarly journals Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Autobiographical Memories in Everyday Life

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Schönfeld ◽  
Anke Ehlers
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Distinct Features ◽  
Ptsd Group

Evidence from self-reports and laboratory studies suggests that recall of nontrauma autobiographical memories may be disturbed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but investigations in everyday life are sparse. This study investigated unintentional nontrauma and trauma memories in trauma survivors with and without PTSD ( N = 52), who kept an autobiographical memory diary for a week. We investigated whether unintentional nontrauma memories show an overgeneral memory bias and further memory abnormalities in people with PTSD, and whether unintentional trauma memories show distinct features. Compared to the no-PTSD group, the PTSD group recorded fewer nontrauma memories, which were more overgeneral, more often from before the trauma or related to the trauma, were perceived as distant, and led to greater dwelling. Trauma memories were more vivid, recurrent, and present and led to greater suppression and dwelling. Within the PTSD group, the same features distinguished trauma and nontrauma memories. Results are discussed regarding theories of autobiographical memory and PTSD.

scholarly journals Impaired Autobiographical Memory Flexibility in Iranian Trauma Survivors With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Piltan ◽  
Ali Reza Moradi ◽  
Mohammad Hassan Choobin ◽  
Parviz Azadfallah ◽  
Sara Eskandari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Emotional Disturbance ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Community Control ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Memory Flexibility

Reduced ability to retrieve specific autobiographical memories is a well-defined feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and science-driven interventions have emerged to improve memory specificity and thereby symptoms. However, research in depressed samples indicates that the ability to flexibly move between retrieval of specific and general memory types (i.e., memory flexibility) may more accurately conceptualize autobiographical memory deficits in emotional disturbance. In this study, we evaluated memory specificity and memory flexibility in Iranian trauma survivors ( N = 63) with and without PTSD relative to community control participants. Trauma-exposed participants had experienced a serious road-traffic accident. Results indicated that individuals with PTSD experienced reduced memory specificity and memory flexibility relative to trauma-exposed participants and community control participants. A small sample size limits the strength of conclusions, although good statistical power was obtained. Findings suggest that reduced memory flexibility may be a transdiagnostic marker of emotional disturbance and support further development of memory flexibility interventions for PTSD.

scholarly journals Are Trauma Memories Disjointed from other Autobiographical Memories in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? An Experimental Investigation

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Kleim ◽  
Franziska Wallott ◽  
Anke Ehlers
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Negative Life Event ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Retrieval Task ◽  
Traumatic Memories ◽  
Assault Survivors

AbstractThis study tested the hypothesis that trauma memories are disjointed from other autobiographical material in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Assault survivors with (n = 25) and without PTSD (n = 49) completed an autobiographical memory retrieval task during script-driven imagery of (a) the assault and (b) an unrelated negative event. When listening to a taped imagery script of the worst moment of their assault, survivors with PTSD took longer to retrieve unrelated non-traumatic autobiographical information than those without PTSD, but not when listening to a taped script of the worst moment of another negative life event. The groups also did not differ in general retrieval latencies, neither at baseline nor after the imagery tasks. The findings are in line with suggestions that traumatic memories are less integrated with other autobiographical information in trauma survivors with PTSD than in those without PTSD.

Intrusive Thoughts in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry A. Falsetti ◽  
Jeannine Monnier ◽  
Joanne L. Davis ◽  
Heidi S. Resnick
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Treatment Outcome ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Intrusive Thoughts ◽  
Panic Attacks ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Multiple Channel ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Treatments

This article reviews the literature on prevalence, associated features, assessment, and treatment of intrusive symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research indicates that among trauma survivors, intrusive thoughts and imagery are quite common and distressing. It appears that early intrusions may be predictive of long-term distress and that avoidance and suppression can maintain intrusions. The treatment outcome literature for PTSD indicates that current cognitive behavioral treatments are effective in reducing intrusions. New data from a recent treatment outcome study for PTSD with comorbid panic attacks, using Multiple Channel Exposure Therapy, also suggest that this treatment is effective in significantly reducing intrusions.

Self-Triggering? An Exploration of Individuals Who Seek Reminders of Trauma

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-755
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Bellet ◽  
Payton J. Jones ◽  
Richard J. McNally
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Clinical Relevance ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Empirical Inquiry ◽  
Clinical Literature ◽  
The Subject

Trauma survivors who self-trigger, or seek reminders of their traumatic events, have been noted in the clinical literature but have not yet been the subject of a systematic empirical inquiry. This article presents the results of two exploratory studies of self-triggering. In Study 1 ( N = 545), we estimated the behavior’s clinical relevance among trauma survivors. In Study 2 ( N = 360), we examined descriptive characteristics of self-triggering as well as potential motivations for the behavior. We found that self-triggering is uniquely associated with more severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Self-triggering takes place via a wide variety of methods and can become compulsive for many individuals. Reasons endorsed for self-triggering comprised several broad motives, but the desire to make meaning of one’s trauma was most predictive of self-triggering frequency. Limitations, clinical implications, and directions for further research are discussed.

Exploring the Longitudinal Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Injured Trauma Survivors

Psychiatry ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janyce E. Osenbach ◽  
Charles Lewis ◽  
Barry Rosenfeld ◽  
Joan Russo ◽  
Leah M. Ingraham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Longitudinal Trajectories

MMPI Scores of Female Victims

1995 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-144E ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Robert Sinnett ◽  
Michael C. Holen ◽  
William L. Albott
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Small Town ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Hit Rate ◽  
Characteristic 2 ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Ptsd Group

Samples of MMPIs of women who were victims of abuse or manifested a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder were drawn from two private practice settings, one urban and one in a small town. Each PTSD sample included 21 persons. For comparison, two contrast samples of 15 persons each were drawn from the same populations. A cut-off point of T = 65 for PK yielded a 69% hit rate for classifying PTSD and contrast subjects. Since scores on PS and PK were so highly correlated, no independent analyses were warranted. Although the PTSD group yielded a more elevated mean profile, there were no characteristic 2-point codes. Therefore, PK is more useful in identifying Posttraumatic Stress Disorder than either profile elevation or configuration.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document