Longitudinal relationships among posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters in response to positive memory
Stephanie V Caldas1, Alana Fondren1, Prathiba Natesan Batley1
1Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Louisville, USA.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|June 23, 2022
Summary
Processing positive memories can reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms by decreasing avoidance behaviors. This study explored how processing positive memories impacts PTSD symptom severity, offering new avenues for treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Avoidance is a core symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that maintains symptom severity.
- Current PTSD treatments often focus solely on trauma memories, neglecting positive memory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mediating role of PTSD avoidance in the relationship between processing positive memories and PTSD symptom severity.
- To examine how processing positive memories affects intrusion, mood/cognition, and arousal clusters of PTSD symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-five trauma-exposed college students were randomly assigned to narrating/processing, writing/processing, or control conditions.
- Data were collected at baseline (T0) and follow-up (T1) using a semi-longitudinal design.
- Mediation models were used to analyze the impact of positive memory processing on PTSD symptom severity via avoidance.
Main Results:
- Narrating positive memories, compared to writing or control, led to decreased intrusion and mood/cognition severity by reducing avoidance.
- Narrating positive memories, compared to writing, also decreased arousal severity by reducing avoidance.
- Reductions in avoidance severity were key mediators in the relationship between positive memory processing and decreased PTSD symptom severity.
Conclusions:
- Processing positive memories may reduce PTSD severity by decreasing avoidance, similar to processing trauma memories.
- Findings support further research into the mechanisms of positive memory processing for PTSD treatment.
- Positive memory processing offers a potential complementary strategy in PTSD interventions.
Keywords:
AvoidanceHalf-longitudinal mediationPositive autobiographical memoriesPosttraumatic stress disorderMore Related Videos
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