Impairments in short-term memory, and figure logic, in PTSD patients compared to healthy controls with the same ethnic background

Abstract

Background: There is a paucity of studies of possible impairments of figure logic in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Aim: To determine whether figure logic is impaired in the PTSD patients compared to healthy subjects with the same ethnic background (refugees from Iraq). Method: Thurstone's Picture Memory Test (TPMT), Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) and Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) were used in 30 PTSD patients, and 20 controls, all men. Results: Using ANCOVA, there was a significant difference between the PTSD group and the control group with regard to the TPMT scores, adjusted for age, number of years of education, and RSPM (M = 15.69, SD = 7.63 for those with PTSD versus M = 20.90, SD = 4.99 for the controls, F = 4.14, p = 0.05). RSPM was a factor, which significantly contributed to the group difference (RSPM: F = 7.43, p = 0.009), however age, and educational level could not explain the group difference. Mean number of incorrect responses in the BVRT were associated with TPMT score (unstandardized B = −0.36, t = −2.08, p = 0.05). Conclusion: Overall, the results provide support for and confirm the hypothesis that short term visual memory is impaired in PTSD patients. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.