Questionable validity of ‘dissociative amnesia’ in trauma victims

1998 ◽  
Vol 172 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harrison G. Pope ◽  
James I. Hudson ◽  
J. Alexander Bodkin ◽  
Paul Oliva

BackgroundWe reviewed evidence from prospective studies to test whether individuals can develop amnesia for traumatic experiences, a process variously termed ‘repression’, dissociative amnesia’ or ‘psychogenic amnesia’.MethodUsing specified criteria, we selected and analysed studies which prospectively assessed memory in victims of documented traumatic experiences.ResultsIn studies in which people were asked directly about a past traumatic experience, they consistently reported memories. Non-reporting occurred only in studies where subjects were not asked directly about the experience. This latter design leaves open the well-documented possibility that subjects simply did not disclose events that they actually remembered. Some prospective studies were also limited by incomplete documentation of trauma and failure to rule out other more ordinary causes of amnesia.ConclusionsProspective data as yet fail to demonstrate that individuals can develop dissociative amnesia for traumatic events.

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Frydecka ◽  
Błażej Misiak ◽  
Kamila Kotowicz ◽  
Renata Pionke ◽  
Martyna Krężołek ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. Childhood traumatic events are risk factors for psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). However, the mechanisms explaining how trauma may contribute to the development of PLEs are not fully understood. In our study, we investigated whether cannabis use and cognitive biases mediate the relationship between early trauma and PLEs. Methods. A total sample of 6,772 young adults (age 26.6 ± 4.7, 2,181 male and 3,433 female) was recruited from the general population to participate in an online survey. We excluded 1,158 individuals due to a self-reported lifetime diagnosis of any mental disorder. The online survey included selected items from the following questionnaires: Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC, 3 items), Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q, 3 items), Cannabis Problems Questionnaire (CPQ, 10 items), Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS-18, 9 items), and Prodromal Questionnaire-16 (PQ-16). Mediation analyses were performed with respect to different categories of traumatic experiences (emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as emotional neglect). Results. Our results showed significant associations of any time of childhood trauma with higher scores of cannabis use (CPQ), cognitive biases (DACOBS), and PLEs (PQ-16) (p < 0.001). We found a direct effect of childhood trauma on PLEs as well as significant indirect effect mediated through cannabis use and cognitive biases. All models tested for the effects of specific childhood adversities revealed similar results. The percentage of variance in PQ-16 scores explained by serial mediation models varied between 32.8 and 34.2% depending on childhood trauma category. Conclusion. Cannabis use and cognitive biases play an important mediating role in the relationship between childhood traumatic events and the development of PLEs in a nonclinical young adult population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98
Author(s):  
Alyssa Powell ◽  
Kevan Lamm

With the frequency and intensity of natural disasters expected to increase as climate change persists, it is crucial for agricultural educators and extension agents around the world to develop the capacity to assist individuals in the wake of traumatic natural disasters. Data were collected in January 2019 and surveyed Georgia residents who they themselves, or someone they cared about, were affected by Hurricane Michael which occurred in October 2018. Data were measured using a modified version of Tedeschi and Calhoun’s (1996) 21-item posttraumatic growth inventory. Highest mean posttraumatic growth score was associated with the Relate to Others scale, while the lowest mean score was associated with the Appreciation of Life scale. Approximately 48% of respondents reported a large or very large change in their compassion for others and their appreciation of each day as a result of their traumatic experience. Female respondents scored higher than male respondents on all the posttraumatic growth factors. Significant differences at the .05 level between male and female mean posttraumatic growth scores were identified for five scale factors; personal strength; spiritual change; appreciation of life; and overall posttraumatic growth. These findings suggest females may be more adaptive to traumatic events and more likely to be receptive to the potential to perceive positive benefits resulting from traumatic experiences. An associated recommendation would be for agricultural educators and extension personnel to utilize the appreciative inquiry approach when assisting individuals recovering from natural disasters and other traumatic events. Keywords: posttraumatic growth; Hurricane Michael; natural disasters; appreciative inquiry


2005 ◽  
Vol 50 (13) ◽  
pp. 817-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J McNally

How trauma victims remember—or forget—their most horrific experiences lies at the heart of the most bitter controversy in psychiatry and psychology in recent times. Whereas experts maintain that traumatic events—those experienced as overwhelmingly terrifying at the time of their occurrence—are remembered all too well, traumatic amnesia theorists disagree. Although these theorists acknowledge that trauma is often seemingly engraved on memory, they nevertheless maintain that a significant minority of survivors are incapable of remembering their trauma, thanks to mechanisms of either dissociation or repression. Unfortunately, the evidence they adduce in support of the concept of traumatic dissociative amnesia fails to support their claims. The purpose of this review is to dispel confusions and debunk myths regarding trauma and memory.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110244
Author(s):  
Júlia Camargo Contessa ◽  
Carolina Stopinski Padoan ◽  
Jéssica Leandra Gonçalves da Silva ◽  
Pedro V. S. Magalhães

The suicide of a loved one can be a traumatic experience. The objective of this study was to investigate trauma-related experiences of suicide survivors. This is a qualitative study with people who had recently lost a family member or a close one to suicide, conducted at least two months after the event. Forty-one participants agreed to take part in the study and were interviewed. The interviewees' perception was that suicide brought harm, symptoms, and suffering. Traumatic experiences can begin immediately after the event, with many reporting symptoms lasting many months and persistent impact, both personal and to the family. Postvention models after suicide should incorporate such findings, and investigate trauma consistently.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S165-S166
Author(s):  
A.M. Pignatelli ◽  
C. Loriedo ◽  
M. Biondi ◽  
P. Girardi ◽  
J. Vanderlinden ◽  
...  

IntroductionA high proportion of individuals with eating disorders (EDs) report childhood abuse and neglect. The prevalence of traumatic events in ED patients has been extensively investigated; less is known about their self-perceived–and reported–severity. Objectives/Aims: We aimed to assess in ED patients vs. healthy controls the severity, i.e., duration, perpetrator, and subjective impact, of sexual, physical, and emotional traumas suffered from 0 to 18 years, paying particular attention to emotional neglect.MethodsFifty-seven consecutive DSM-V ED patients (91.2% females; age range: 18–42 years) were recruited at the Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic of our University Hospital. Ninety controls (78.9% females; age range: 20–39 years) were also recruited. Among ED patients, 43.9% had restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN), 29.8% binge/purging AN, 26.3% bulimia nervosa. Individuals completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC).ResultsThe severity of all traumatic events, according to the TEC total score, was significantly higher in ED patients than controls (P < 0.001). Moreover, ED patients showed significantly higher scores with regard to emotional neglect (P < 0.001) and emotional abuse (P < 0.001). The same can be said for physical traumas (P < 0.01) and physical abuse (P < 0.01), although with a lower significance, and for sexual abuse (P < 0.05), with an even lower significance. No difference in the severity of sexual harassment was found.ConclusionsAll types of traumas, especially neglect, can occur in ED patients and controls, however they are reported as more severe by ED patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (22) ◽  

Breast cancer is a traumatic experience. Those diagnosed with breast cancer often experience psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, traumatic experiences do not only cause psychological symptoms, but also can lead to positive changes named as posttraumatic growth (PTG). In the present study, it was aimed to examine both the psychological symptom (depression, anxiety, stress) and PTG levels of women with breast cancer and the relationship of these variables with core beliefs challenge and rumination types. Sociodemographic and Cancer-Related Information Form, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Core Beliefs Inventory, and Event-Related Rumination Inventory were applied to 201 women with breast cancer diagnosis (Mage = 47.81, SD = 8.58), mediation relations of variables were examined with Process Macro. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the psychological symptom levels of the majority of the participants were low and their PTG levels were above medium. It was determined that core beliefs challenge positively predicted depression, anxiety, stress, and PTG. Intrusive rumination mediated the relationship between core beliefs challenge and depression, anxiety and stress; deliberate rumination mediated the relationship between core beliefs challenge and PTG. In other words, as the core belief challenge of the participants increase, both psychological symptom and PTG levels increase. In addition, those who use intrusive rumination experience more psychological symptom, and those who use deliberate rumination experience more PTG. The present study reveals the importance of cognitive processes in understanding the psychological symptoms and PTG in women with breast cancer. Keywords: Breast cancer, psychological symptom, posttraumatic growth, core belief challenge, event-related rumination


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-56
Author(s):  
E. I. Razumets

The article presents a study of traumatic experiences by high-class athletes (members of the Russian national teams). Data on the subjective sensations of athletes who have suffered from injury of the musculoskeletal system are obtained, patterns in the perception of the consequences of an injury event are revealed. Also we present data on the attitude of athletes to injury in the aspect of professional activity. The analyzed information is an important component in the development of personalized programs for the prevention of reinjury in elite sports.Objective: to assess the psychoemotional experiences of sports trauma by elite athletes in the process of rehabilitation treatment after the musculoskeletal system injury.Materials and methods: a specially developed medical and psychological interview was conducted with athletes-members of the sports national Russian Federation teams, who are inpatient treatment in the sports traumatology department, in order to obtain primary subjective information from the athlete about his presentation of his own experiences of a traumatic episode. Further, the information obtained from the interviews was analyzed and grouped for further evaluation.Results: we state the significant influence exerted by the previous traumatic experience on the future life and professional activity of an athlete. Moreover, the influence can be both negative (fear, anxiety, kinesiophobia, uncertainty in sports-specific movements) and positive (acquired skills of coping with traumatic experiences, gaining new knowledge about one’s physical and psychological capabilities).Conclusions: thus, despite the diversity of individual reactions of athletes to injury, different life situations, sports and traumatic events, it is possible to identify general patterns in the perception of elite athletes of the injury itself, as well as the entire process of recovery and return to sports. This information is very important both for minimizing the negative impact of a sports injury on the psychological recovery of an athlete by switching his attention to identifying the “positive” consequences of the injury, and for the prevention of repeated injuries in elite sports.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Yılmaz ◽  
Coşkun Arslan ◽  
Emel Arslan

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of mothers’ and teachers’ testimonies that conflict with scientific facts and scientific explanations on kindergartners’ judgments. The participants consisted of 104 young children in Şanlıurfa province in Turkey. Their ages ranged from 48 to 79 months, with a mean age of 61.48 months (SD = 5.58). The participants were randomly assigned to the following four groups: 1) Scientific explanation followed by teacher’s testimony, 2) teacher’s testimony; 3) scientific explanation followed by mother’s testimony, 4) mother’s testimony. The children responded to a question about a scientific fact. After the response, they watched their mothers’ or teachers’ testimonies which contradict the scientific fact. Findings revealed that when a scientific explanation was not provided, the children tended to show deference to their teachers’ and especially mothers’ testimony. A week later, a follow-up measurement revealed that this impact did not last a week.


Psichologija ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 7-18
Author(s):  
Evaldas Kazlauskas ◽  
Irma Šimėnaitė ◽  
Danutė Gailienė

Potrauminis augimas yra teigiami psichologiniai padariniai po traumos, kurie pasireiškia savęs suvokimo, požiūrio į pasaulį ir tarpasmeninių santykių pokyčiais (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 1996). Pozityvūs procesai po traumos dar tik pradedami tyrinėti, todėl nėra žinoma, kokios yra potrauminio augimo (PTA), trauminio įvykio intensyvumo ir potrauminio streso sutrikimo (PTSS) sąsajos. Siekiant įvertinti ryšius tarp trauminės patirties ir PTSS bei PTA, buvo ištirti 104 studentiško amžiaus jaunuoliai, per savo gyvenimą patyrę bent vieną trauminį įvykį. Tako analizės modelis parodė, kad subjektyvus trauminės patirties intensyvumasyra veiksnys, reikšmingai prognozuojantis tiek PTSS, tiek PTA. Kuo reakcija į trauminį įvykį yra stipresnė, tuo labiau išreikšti PTSS ir PTA požymiai. Nustatytas nestiprus teigiamas ryšys tarp PTSS ir PTA parodė, kad, norėdami geriau suprasti, kaip jaučiasi asmenys po traumos, turime atsižvelgti ir į teigiamus (PTA), ir į neigiamus (PTSS) traumos padarinius. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: trauma, potrauminis stresas, potrauminis augimas.RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRAUMA EXPOSURE, POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDEREvaldas Kazlauskas, Irma Šimėnaitė, Danutė Gailienė SummaryObjectives: The notion that traumatic experiences may have an impact on human mind is very old. Recent developments in psychotraumatology shifted the approach to a trauma from a purely negative to a more positive perspective. Research confirmed that traumatic events may lead not only to posttraumatic stress or other disorders, but also to positive changes. The present research was based on the concept of Posttraumatic Growth developed by Calhoun and Tedeschi (1996), which is widely known in the field of traumatic stress. Although the number of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) research is growing rapidly, little is known about Posttraumatic Growth predictors. The present research was designed to find out the links between Posttraumatic Growth, Posttraumatic Stress and initial reactions to the traumatic event. We set up two goals of the study: 1) evaluation of how initial traumatic reactions predict PTG, and 2) assessment of links between PTG and PTSD.Methods: A group of 104 university students exposed to at least one life-time traumatic event participated in the study. The average time gap between exposure to a traumatic event and the time of research was 43 months. The intensity of initial reactions to a traumatic event was measured using a 10-item selfrating inventory developed by the authors of the present study. The Subjective Traumatic Experience (STE) inventory consisted of items covering cognitive, emotional and physiological reactions to a traumatic event. Posttraumatic Growth was measured using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PGI) developed by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996). Previous research showed satisfactory psychometric properties of the Lithuanian version of PGI (Gailienë & Kazlauskas, 2005). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was measured using the Lithuanian version of Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R). A recent validation of the IES-R on Lithuanian population showed its good psychometric properties (Kazlauskas et al., 2006).


Psihologija ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svenja Taubner ◽  
Christian Curth

The aim of the study was to examine whether mentalization serves as a protective factor against aggressive behavior in adolescence in the context of early traumatization. We present data from a non-clinical sample of adolescents from Germany (n=97) and calculate a mediation model to test the link between early traumatic experiences and aggressive behavior with mentalizing skills as a mediator. Mentalization was assessed with the Reflective Functioning Scale on the Adult-Attachment-Interview and aggressive behavior was measured with the Reactive-Proactive-Aggression-Questionnaire. Traumatic experience was operationalized as physical and/or sexual abuse as reported in the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire. Results show a complete mediation for Reflective Functioning on the relationship between early abuse and aggressive behavior. Thus, the findings of the study support an understanding of mentalizing as a protective factor for the relationship between early abusive experience and the development of aggressive behavior. Clinical implications are discussed.


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