Fractured pasts: The structure of the life story in sexual trauma survivors with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Clifford ◽  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Tim Dalgleish
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Sexual Trauma ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Sorting Task ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depressed Group ◽  
Past Life ◽  
Life Structure

This study primarily examined the organization of past and future autobiographical knowledge in a sample of sexual trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to a sample of healthy controls, using a self-descriptive card-sorting task. Participants were asked to imagine that they had to write their autobiography and in preparation that they should divide their past (and future) life into chapters (e.g. ‘school years’ and ‘marriage’). They then characterized each chapter using a list of positive or negative attributes. We explored whether individuals with PTSD possessed a more affectively-compartmentalized life-structure, whereby positive and negative self-attributes showed greater disaggregation into separate chapters. We also examined redundancy (i.e., consistent endorsement) of positive and negative self-attributes across the different life-chapters. Results revealed that the PTSD group overall utilized a greater proportion of negative descriptors, along with greater affective compartmentalization and reduced positive redundancy, across their past life-structure relative to the control participants. Groups did not differ on negative redundancy for the past life structure nor on any metrics for future life structure. Follow-up secondary analyses compared the past life-structure profile for those with PTSD to that of individuals with chronic depression, revealing significantly greater negative redundancy in the depressed group. Our findings are consistent with the prior theoretical and empirical literatures on mechanisms, such as avoidance and dissociation, that are implicated in PTSD as a means of inhibiting the negative impact of past traumatic experiences specifically, and negative information more generally.

scholarly journals Fractured Pasts: The Structure of the Life Story in Sexual-Trauma Survivors With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-738
Author(s):  
Georgina Clifford ◽  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Tim Dalgleish
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Trauma ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Depressed Group ◽  
Past Life ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Negative Attributes ◽  
Life Structure

We examined the organization of past and future affective autobiographical knowledge in sexual-trauma survivors compared with control participants. Participants ( N = 113) divided their past (and future) life into chapters (e.g., “college,” “marriage”), then characterized each chapter using positive or negative attributes. Sexual-trauma survivors ( n = 27) endorsed a greater proportion of negative attributes, demonstrated greater affective compartmentalization (separation of positive and negative attributes into different chapters), and showed reduced redundancy (consistent endorsement across chapters) of positive attributes relative to control participants ( n = 23). Groups did not differ on negative redundancy for past life structure or any metrics for future life structure. In a secondary analysis, we compared life structures for the sexual-trauma group and for individuals with chronic depression but no sexual-trauma history ( n = 30) and matched control participants ( n = 56), which revealed significantly greater negative redundancy in the depressed group. The distinct life structure presented by sexual-trauma survivors may reflect efforts to constrain the impact of trauma on an individual’s self-identity.

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 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.

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.

scholarly journals Compartmentalization of self-representations in female survivors of sexual abuse and assault, with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 956-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Clifford ◽  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Tim Dalgleish
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Sorting Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Negative Attributes

AbstractBackgroundThis study examined the structure of the self-concept in a sample of sexual trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to healthy controls using a self-descriptive card-sorting task. We explored whether individuals with PTSD possess a highly affectively-compartmentalized self-structure, whereby positive and negative self-attributes are sectioned off into separate components of self-concept (e.g. self as an employee, lover, mother). We also examined redundancy (i.e. overlap) of positive and negative self-attributes across the different components of self-concept.MethodParticipants generated a set of self-aspects that reflected their own life (e.g. ‘self at work’). They were then asked to describe their self-aspects using list of positive or negative attributes.ResultsResults revealed that, relative to the control group, the PTSD group used a greater proportion of negative attributes and had a more compartmentalized self-structure. However, there were no significant differences between the PTSD and control groups in positive or negative redundancy. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the key findings were not accounted for by comorbid diagnosis of depression.ConclusionFindings indicated that the self-structure is organized differently in those with PTSD, relative to those with depression or good mental health.

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