{"title":"Intrusive memories following disaster: Relationship with peritraumatic responses and later affect.","authors":"Alessandro Massazza, Helene Joffe, Chris R Brewin","doi":"10.1037/abn0000694","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive theories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that intrusive memories result from disrupted information processing during traumatic memory encoding and are characterized by fear, helplessness, and horror at recall. Existing naturalistic studies are limited by the absence of direct comparisons between specific moments that do and do not correspond to intrusive memories. We tested predictions from cognitive theories of PTSD by comparing peritraumatic responses during moments experienced as intrusive memories versus distressing moments of the same traumatic event from the same individual not experienced as intrusive memories. A further comparison was with highly distressing moments experienced during the same event by individuals without intrusive memories. We utilized a psychometrically generated model to distinguish different peritraumatic reactions. Moments experienced as intrusive memories were characterized by higher peritraumatic distress, immobility, cognitive overload, and somatic dissociation when compared both to distressing moments from the same individual that did not intrude and to the most distressing memories of individuals without intrusions. Exploratory analyses indicated that at recall, intrusive memories were characterized by higher levels of primary traumatic emotions such as anxiety, fear, and helplessness in comparison with nonintrusive memories. Findings from this novel naturalistic design support predictions made by cognitive theories of PTSD and have implications for research and preventative interventions targeting intrusive memories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":14793,"journal":{"name":"Journal of abnormal psychology","volume":" ","pages":"727-735"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6000,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of abnormal psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000694","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2021/8/26 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
Cognitive theories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that intrusive memories result from disrupted information processing during traumatic memory encoding and are characterized by fear, helplessness, and horror at recall. Existing naturalistic studies are limited by the absence of direct comparisons between specific moments that do and do not correspond to intrusive memories. We tested predictions from cognitive theories of PTSD by comparing peritraumatic responses during moments experienced as intrusive memories versus distressing moments of the same traumatic event from the same individual not experienced as intrusive memories. A further comparison was with highly distressing moments experienced during the same event by individuals without intrusive memories. We utilized a psychometrically generated model to distinguish different peritraumatic reactions. Moments experienced as intrusive memories were characterized by higher peritraumatic distress, immobility, cognitive overload, and somatic dissociation when compared both to distressing moments from the same individual that did not intrude and to the most distressing memories of individuals without intrusions. Exploratory analyses indicated that at recall, intrusive memories were characterized by higher levels of primary traumatic emotions such as anxiety, fear, and helplessness in comparison with nonintrusive memories. Findings from this novel naturalistic design support predictions made by cognitive theories of PTSD and have implications for research and preventative interventions targeting intrusive memories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Abnormal Psychology® publishes articles on basic research and theory in the broad field of abnormal behavior, its determinants, and its correlates. The following general topics fall within its area of major focus: - psychopathology—its etiology, development, symptomatology, and course; - normal processes in abnormal individuals; - pathological or atypical features of the behavior of normal persons; - experimental studies, with human or animal subjects, relating to disordered emotional behavior or pathology; - sociocultural effects on pathological processes, including the influence of gender and ethnicity; and - tests of hypotheses from psychological theories that relate to abnormal behavior.