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Do positive memory characteristics influence daily-level trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms? an
Ateka A Contractor1, Brett A Messman1, Danica C Slavish1
1Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, USA.
Background And Objectives:
Evidence links posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with positive memory characteristics. To extend this research, we utilized daily diary data to examine (1) concurrent/lagged associations between daily PTSD symptom severity and positive memory vividness/accessibility; and (2) associations between baseline-assessed positive memory characteristics and changes in PTSD symptom severity over time.
Design And Methods:
A sample of 238 trauma-exposed participants (Mage = 21.19 years; 86% women) completed baseline and 10 daily measures of PTSD symptoms and positive memory characteristics. Multilevel models covaried for gender, number of trauma types, and number of completed surveys.
Results:
Days with greater PTSD symptom severity than an individual's average associated with less vividness (b = -0.02, p < .001) and accessibility (b = -0.02, p < .001) of the positive memory on the same day. Days with greater positive memory vividness (b = -1.06, p < .001) and accessibility (b = -0.93, p < .001) than an individual's average associated with less PTSD symptom severity on the same day. There were no significant lagged associations between these constructs. There were significant interactions between baseline-assessed psychological distance and time (b = -0.04, p = .042) and between baseline-assessed visual perspective and time (b = 0.05, p = .023) on PTSD symptom severity across days.
Conclusions:
Findings inform positive memory intervention targets for PTSD and provide impetus for longitudinal investigations on their inter-relations.
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