Fragmented memories in the fog of war: Impaired associative memory under ongoing traumatic stress

Civilians exposed to prolonged missile and bombing attacks often experience traumatic stress symptomatology (TSS) and cognitive impairments, particularly in associative memory. Most research in this area has been retrospective or conducted under controlled lab conditions. The events of October 7 and the subsequent months provided an opportunity to examine the effects of stress on memory in real-world conditions before chronic diagnoses or comorbidities develop. This study investigates how prolonged exposure to traumatic stress impacts item and associative memory for neutral, positive, and negative stimuli during the Iron-Swords war in Israel.

Participants were recruited starting the second week of the ongoing war and over a period of 3 months (N = 169). Participants were categorized into high-TSS and low-TSS groups, and a three-way mixed-design analysis of variance was conducted to examine interactions between TSS level, memory type (item/associative), and stimulus valence (neutral, positive, negative).

While recognition for items did not differ between groups, associative memory accuracy was significantly lower among high-TSS participants, who exhibited higher false-alarm (FA) rates, particularly for negative stimuli, compared to the low-TSS group.

Prolonged exposure to traumatic stress is selectively linked to impairments in associative memory, primarily due to increased FA rates, suggesting a mechanism of memory fragmentation and overgeneralization seen in stress-related disorders. These findings underscore the need for tailored public communication strategies under acute and chronic trauma conditions.positive, negative).

While recognition for items did not differ between groups, associative memory accuracy was significantly lower among high-TSS participants, who exhibited higher false-alarm (FA) rates, particularly for negative stimuli, compared to the low-TSS group.

Prolonged exposure to traumatic stress is selectively linked to impairments in associative memory, primarily due to increased FA rates, suggesting a mechanism of memory fragmentation and overgeneralization seen in stress-related disorders. These findings underscore the need for tailored public communication strategies under acute and chronic trauma (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).