Cited by 63Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchMemory Processes and InfluencesPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

Reduced heart rate responding to trauma reliving in trauma survivors with PTSD: Correlates and consequences

Open access
Halligan, Sarah L., Michael, Tanja, Wilhelm, Frank H., Clark, David M., Ehlers, Anke·2006·Journal of Traumatic Stress

Abstract

The authors investigated whether heart rate (HR) responses to voluntary recall of trauma memories (a) are related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (b) predict recovery 6 months later. Sixty‐two assault survivors completed a recall task modeled on imaginal reliving in the initial weeks postassault. Possible cognitive modulators of HR responsivity were assessed; dissociation, rumination, trauma memory disorganization. Individuals with PTSD showed a reduced HR response to reliving compared to those without PTSD, but reported greater distress. Notably, higher HR response but not self‐reported distress during reliving predicted greater symptom reduction at follow‐up in participants with PTSD. Engagement in rumination was the only cognitive factor that predicted lower HR response. The data are in contrast to studies using trauma reminders to trigger memories, which have found greater physiological reactivity in PTSD. The authors' observations are consistent with models of PTSD that highlight differences between cued or stimulus‐driven retrieval and intentional trauma recall, and with E. B. Foa and M. J. Kozak's (1986) hypothesis that full activation of trauma memories facilitates emotional processing.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/jts.20167

Cites

69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 70 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Halligan, S. L., Michael, T., Wilhelm, F. H., Clark, D. M., & Ehlers, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Reading (GB)
  • University of Basel (CH)
  • King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Halligan, Sarah L.
Venue
Journal of Traumatic Stress
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2006-10
Volume
19
Issue
5
Pages
721-734
ISSN
  • 0894-9867 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-6598
OpenAlex
W1966493878
Cited by
63
References
70
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Traumatic Stress (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • edoc (University of Basel) (acceptedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
  • edoc (University of Basel)
Funders
Wellcome Trust (069777)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, heart rate, rumination, dissociation, physiological reactivity, symptom recovery, emotional processing
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anxiety Disorders, Arousal, Attention, Cues, Depressive Disorder, Dissociative Disorders, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Imagination, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Mental Recall, Sex Offenses, Statistics as Topic, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Violence

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review