A memory-based model of posttraumatic stress disorder: evaluating basic assumptions underlying the PTSD diagnosis.
Abstract
In the mnemonic model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the current memory
of a negative event, not the event itself, determines symptoms. The model is an alternative
to the current event-based etiology of PTSD represented in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association,
2000). The model accounts for important and reliable findings that are often inconsistent
with the current diagnostic view and that have been neglected by theoretical accounts
of the disorder, including the following observations. The diagnosis needs objective
information about the trauma and peritraumatic emotions but uses retrospective memory
reports that can have substantial biases. Negative events and emotions that do not
satisfy the current diagnostic criteria for a trauma can be followed by symptoms that
would otherwise qualify for PTSD. Predisposing factors that affect the current memory
have large effects on symptoms. The inability-to-recall-an-important-aspect-of-the-trauma
symptom does not correlate with other symptoms. Loss or enhancement of the trauma
memory affects PTSD symptoms in predictable ways. Special mechanisms that apply only
to traumatic memories are not needed, increasing parsimony and the knowledge that
can be applied to understanding PTSD.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDissociative Disorders
Female
Humans
Life Change Events
Male
Mental Recall
Models, Psychological
Personality Inventory
Psychometrics
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10081Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1037/a0013397Publication Info
Rubin, David C; Berntsen, Dorthe; & Bohni, Malene Klindt (2008). A memory-based model of posttraumatic stress disorder: evaluating basic assumptions
underlying the PTSD diagnosis. Psychol Rev, 115(4). pp. 985-1011. 10.1037/a0013397. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10081.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
David C. Rubin
Juanita M. Kreps Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
For .pdfs of all publications click here My main research interest has been in long-term
memory, especially for complex (or "real-world") stimuli. This work includes the study
of autobiographical memory and oral traditions, as w

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