Participant, rater, and computer measures of coherence in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Abstract
We examined the coherence of trauma memories in a trauma-exposed community sample
of 30 adults with and 30 without posttraumatic stress disorder. The groups had similar
categories of traumas and were matched on multiple factors that could affect the coherence
of memories. We compared the transcribed oral trauma memories of participants with
their most important and most positive memories. A comprehensive set of 28 measures
of coherence including 3 ratings by the participants, 7 ratings by outside raters,
and 18 computer-scored measures, provided a variety of approaches to defining and
measuring coherence. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated differences in
coherence among the trauma, important, and positive memories, but not between the
diagnostic groups or their interaction with these memory types. Most differences were
small in magnitude; in some cases, the trauma memories were more, rather than less,
coherent than the control memories. Where differences existed, the results agreed
with the existing literature, suggesting that factors other than the incoherence of
trauma memories are most likely to be central to the maintenance of posttraumatic
stress disorder and thus its treatment.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Adaptation, PsychologicalAdult
Female
Humans
Life Change Events
Male
Memory
Middle Aged
Sense of Coherence
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12022Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1037/abn0000126Publication Info
Rubin, David C; Deffler, Samantha A; Ogle, Christin M; Dowell, Nia M; Graesser, Arthur
C; & Beckham, Jean C (2016). Participant, rater, and computer measures of coherence in posttraumatic stress disorder.
J Abnorm Psychol, 125(1). pp. 11-25. 10.1037/abn0000126. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12022.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
Jean Crowell Beckham
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Interest in assessment and treatment of trauma, particularly as occurs for both women
and men during military service; focus in treatment outcome of differential and collective
contribution for psychopharmacological and behavioral interventions in PTSD populations;
long term physical health effects of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder.
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 tra
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