Attentional control affects the relationship between tonic immobility and intrusive memories
Abstract
Background and objectives Cognitive control and tonic immobility (TI) have both been implicated in the development of PTSD, but it is not known how these factors are related. The present study investigated if a specific form of cognitive control (attentional control) would moderate the relationship between TI and intrusive memories.Methods Participants (N = 43) completed the Attentional Control Scale (ACS) before watching an aversive film. They completed the Tonic Immobility Scale (TIS, with an immobility and fear subscale: TIS-TI and TIS-Fear) afterwards and recorded intrusive memories of the film in the subsequent week.Results TIS-TI was related to intrusion frequency, while ACS was not. However, ACS had a moderating role; the relationship between TIS-TI and intrusion frequency was significant in low ACS but not in high ACS participants. The TIS-Fear subscale was not related to intrusion frequency in low ACS or high ACS participants.Limitations Replication of the results is merited in selected extreme groups and males.Conclusions The results may imply that enhanced attentional control serves as a protective factor against the development of intrusive memories after trauma.
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No evidence for a direct relationship between self-reported attentional control and intrusive memories has been found.
“Although no evidence for a direct relationship between self-reported attentional control and intrusive memories has been found”
From Intrusive memories of trauma: A target for research bridging cognitive science and its clinical application (2019) · cites this paper as Hagenaars & Putman, 2011
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- Authors
- Hagenaars, M. A., & Putman, P.
- Affiliations
- Leiden University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Hagenaars, Muriel A.
- Venue
- Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-09
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 379-383
- ISSN
- 0005-7916 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1974478308
- Semantic Scholar
- abb92f194aae3f8b913178e9fce7a863fa903bf3
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 3.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- 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
- attentional control, cognitive control, tonic immobility, intrusive memories, post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, fear, protective factors, moderating effect
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Attention, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Personality Inventory, Mental Recall, Immobility Response, Tonic
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