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Cited by 204Memory Processes and InfluencesPosttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchChild Abuse and Trauma

Directed forgetting of trauma cues in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.

McNally, Richard J., Metzger, Linda J., Lasko, Natasha B., Clancy, Susan A., Pitman, Roger K.·1998·Journal of Abnormal Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0021-843x.107.4.596
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Abstract

The authors used a directed-forgetting task to investigate whether psychiatrically impaired adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse exhibit an avoidant encoding style and impaired memory for trauma cues. The authors tested women with abuse histories, either with or without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and women with neither abuse histories nor PTSD. The women saw intermixed trauma words (e.g., molested), positive words (e.g., confident), and categorized neutral words (e.g., mailbox) on a computer screen and were instructed either to remember or to forget each word. Relative to the other groups, the PTSD group did not exhibit recall deficits for trauma-related to-be-remembered words, nor did they recall fewer trauma-related to-be-forgotten words than other words. Instead, they exhibited recall deficits for positive and neutral words they were supposed to remember. These data are inconsistent with the hypothesis that impaired survivors exhibit avoidant encoding and impaired memory for traumatic information.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0021-843x.107.4.596

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  • When a trauma survivor is suffering from PTSD, attempts to forget are typically difficult or impossible.

    “When the trauma survivor is suffering from PTSD, however, attempts to forget are typically difficult or impossible.”

    From Memory and Forgetting (2018) · cites this paper as [24]

  • In the directed forgetting paradigm, PTSD is associated with greater difficulty in forgetting experimental items that have just been presented.

    “In the directed forgetting paradigm, participants are required to forget experimental items that have just been presented, and PTSD is associated with greater difficulty in doing this [24].”

    From Memory and Forgetting (2018) · cites this paper as [24]

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Related

Authors
McNally, R. J., Metzger, L. J., Lasko, N. B., Clancy, S. A., & Pitman, R. K.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1998-11
Volume
107
Issue
4
Pages
596-601
ISSN
  • 0021-843X (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1846
DOI
10.1037/0021-843x.107.4.596
OpenAlex
W2070066963
Cited by
204
References
21
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 8
FWCI
4.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Abnormal Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01mh051927-03, 5r01mh048559-02)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH48559, R01MH51927)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
Keywords
directed forgetting, child sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic memory, memory impairment, women survivors
MeSH terms
Adult, Analysis of Variance, Avoidance Learning, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Memory, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Word Association Tests, Survivors

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