Anxiety, Stress & Coping ( IF 3.813 ) Pub Date : 2021-01-08 Libby A. Rackham, Alex Lau-Zhu
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives
Media trauma in civilians is linked to intrusive imagery-based memory symptoms. We investigated whether mental imagery of the 9/11 terrorist attacks following media exposure is dampened by taxing working memory (WM).
Methods
Forty-five young adult UK residents, who were exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks as children via the media, identified a personally-relevant mental image of the attacks. They were then randomly allocated to: (1) recall + Tetris, (2) recall + eye movements (EMs), or (3) recall-only. Ratings on imagery vividness and emotionality were provided at three time points: pre-, post-manipulations, and at 24-hr follow-up.
Results
Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that recall + Tetris and recall + EMs (relative to recall-only) significantly reduced imagery vividness and emotionality from pre- to post-manipulations, but not to follow-up.
Limitations
A passive control group is needed to fully rule out the role of natural memory decay; the follow-up was exploratory and took place outside the laboratory with reduced experimental control.
Conclusions
Aversive memory imagery from media trauma in civilians can be dampened by taxing WM, at least temporarily, which could be therapeutically useful. The use of such cognitive techniques may also hold relevance for public health approaches to address the impact of collective trauma.
中文翻译:
征服工作记忆以调节儿童时期媒体曝光后9/11恐怖袭击的心理意象:一项针对年轻英国成年居民的试点研究
摘要
背景和目标
平民的媒体创伤与基于影像的侵入性记忆症状有关。我们调查了媒体曝光后9/11恐怖袭击的心理形象是否因对工作记忆(WM)征税而受到削弱。
方法
四十五名年轻的成年英国居民通过媒体从小就受到9/11恐怖袭击的影响,他们确定了与袭击有关的个人心理形象。然后将它们随机分配给:(1)回忆+俄罗斯方块,(2)回忆+眼球运动(EM),或(3)仅回忆。在三个时间点提供了图像生动性和情感性的评分:操作前,操作后和24小时随访。
结果
重复测量的方差分析显示,召回+俄罗斯方块和召回+ EM(相对于仅召回)从操作前到操作后显着降低了图像的生动度和情感水平,但没有降低后续操作的难度。
局限性
需要一个被动控制组来完全排除自然记忆衰退的作用。随访是探索性的,并在实验室外进行,减少了实验控制。
结论
可以通过对WM征税(至少暂时征税)来减轻平民媒体创伤引起的厌恶记忆图像,这可能具有治疗作用。此类认知技术的使用也可能与解决集体创伤影响的公共卫生方法相关。