The Influences of Event Centrality in Memory Models of PTSD |
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| Authors: | Joseph M Fitzgerald Dorthe Berntsen Carissa L Broadbridge |
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| Institution: | 1. Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA;2. Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark;3. Department of Psychology, Saint Xavier University, Chicago, USA |
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| Abstract: | The consequences of events for well‐being are influenced by individual and situational factors that are often studied in isolation. In the research reported here, a large (N = 489) nonclinical sample of college students reported their most traumatic event, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depressive symptoms, personality traits, and characteristics of their event memory. This study achieved three major goals. First, we identified the highest types of stress event types in this population as disruptions of interpersonal relationships, homicides/assaults on others, and assaults/accidents involving themselves. Second, we established that the effects of memory characteristics such as vividness, belief, and impact on PTSD symptoms are mediated by the centrality of the event to identity. Third, we affirmed the hypothesis that a structural model of the influence of personality factors on PTSD symptoms has a higher level of concurrent validity if event centrality is included as a mediator of those influences. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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