ABSTRACT

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterised by alterations in autobiographical memory for traumatic and non-traumatic events. Studies that focus on event construction – the ability to search for and identify a specific event – have documented overgeneral memory in PTSD. However, the quality of autobiographical memory also depends on the ability to elaborate on an event once constructed by providing additional details. In a prior study, individuals with PTSD generated as many episodic (event-specific) details as trauma-exposed controls when demands on event construction were minimized, albeit the PTSD group generated more non-episodic details. The current study sought to further characterize PTSD-related alterations in event elaboration by asking participants to describe a stressful negative event specified by the experimenter, thus minimizing event construction demands. Narratives were scored for episodic and non-episodic details and relations with measures of executive function and self-reported avoidance were examined. Compared to controls, the PTSD group generated narratives with equivalent episodic detail but greater non-episodic detail, including semantic information and repeated or extended events. Non-episodic detail generation was associated with greater avoidance but not executive functions. Elaborated non-trauma memories may be perceived as overgeneral in PTSD due to greater generation of non-episodic details, rather than diminished episodic detail.

摘要

创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 的特征是对创伤性和非创伤性事件的自传体记忆发生改变。专注于事件构建的研究——搜索和识别特定事件的能力——已经记录了 PTSD 中的过度泛化记忆。然而，自传体记忆的质量也取决于通过提供额外的细节来详细阐述事件的能力。在之前的一项研究中，当对事件构建的需求最小化时，患有 PTSD 的个体产生了与创伤暴露控制组一样多的情节（特定事件）细节，尽管 PTSD 组产​​生了更多的非情节细节。目前的研究试图通过要求参与者描述实验者指定的压力性负面事件来进一步描述事件详述中与 PTSD 相关的改变，从而最大限度地减少活动建设需求。对情节和非情节细节的叙述进行评分，并检查与执行功能和自我报告回避措施的关系。与对照组相比，PTSD 组生成的叙述具有相同的情节细节，但非情节细节更多，包括语义信息和重复或扩展的事件。非情节细节生成与更大程度的回避相关，但与执行功能无关。由于更多的非情节细节的产生，而不是减少的情节细节，精心制作的非创伤记忆在 PTSD 中可能被认为过于笼统。PTSD 小组生成的叙述具有同等的情节细节，但非情节细节更多，包括语义信息和重复或扩展的事件。非情节细节生成与更大程度的回避相关，但与执行功能无关。由于更多的非情节细节的产生，而不是减少的情节细节，精心制作的非创伤记忆在 PTSD 中可能被认为过于笼统。PTSD 小组生成的叙述具有同等的情节细节，但非情节细节更多，包括语义信息和重复或扩展的事件。非情节细节生成与更大程度的回避相关，但与执行功能无关。由于更多的非情节细节的产生，而不是减少的情节细节，精心制作的非创伤记忆在 PTSD 中可能被认为过于笼统。