When a trauma becomes a key to identity: enhanced integration of trauma memories predicts posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms

2006-10-30articleApplied Cognitive Psychology424 citationsgreen

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Memory, History, Trauma, Identity Identity, Memory, and Therapy

Abstract

Abstract The Centrality of Event Scale (CES) measures the extent to which a traumatic memory forms a central component of personal identity, a turning point in the life story and a reference point for everyday inferences. In two studies, we show that the CES is positively correlated with severity of PTSD symptoms, even when controlling for measures of anxiety, depression, dissociation and self‐consciousness. The findings contradict the widespread view that poor integration of the traumatic memory into one's life story is a main cause of PTSD symptoms. Instead, enhanced integration appears to be a key issue. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Citations in this library

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 424 citations exist upstream.

References

1961An Inventory for Measuring Depression

1995Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey

1973Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability

1978Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation.

2000A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder

2000The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system.

1996Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist (PCL)

1975Public and private self-consciousness: Assessment and theory.

Cited by

2011The Nature and Significance of Memory Disturbance in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2008Memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: Properties of voluntary and involuntary, traumatic and nontraumatic autobiographical memories in people with and without posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

2013The impact of the developmental timing of trauma exposure on PTSD symptoms and psychosocial functioning among older adults.

2009Emotional valence and the functions of autobiographical memories: Positive and negative memories serve different functions

2009Shame as a traumatic memory

2011Two versions of life: Emotionally negative and positive life events have different roles in the organization of life story and identity.

2011Autobiographical memory for stressful events: The role of autobiographical memory in posttraumatic stress disorder

2013The functions of autobiographical memory: An integrative approach