Abstract
ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Evidence links posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with positive memory characteristics. To extend this research, we utilized daily diary data to examine (1) concurrent/lagged associations between daily PTSD symptom severity and positive memory vividness/accessibility; and (2) associations between baseline-assessed positive memory characteristics and changes in PTSD symptom severity over time. Design and Methods A sample of 238 trauma-exposed participants (M age = 21.19 years; 86% women) completed baseline and 10 daily measures of PTSD symptoms and positive memory characteristics. Multilevel models covaried for gender, number of trauma types, and number of completed surveys. Results Days with greater PTSD symptom severity than an individual’s average associated with less vividness (b = −0.02, p < .001) and accessibility (b = −0.02, p < .001) of the positive memory on the same day. Days with greater positive memory vividness (b = −1.06, p < .001) and accessibility (b = −0.93, p < .001) than an individual’s average associated with less PTSD symptom severity on the same day. There were no significant lagged associations between these constructs. There were significant interactions between baseline-assessed psychological distance and time (b = −0.04, p = .042) and between baseline-assessed visual perspective and time (b = 0.05, p = .023) on PTSD symptom severity across days. Conclusions Findings inform positive memory intervention targets for PTSD and provide impetus for longitudinal investigations on their inter-relations.
Published Version
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