Citation

Yasik AE, Saigh PA, Oberfield RA, Halamandaris PV. Biol. Psychiatry 2007; 61(3): 382-388.

Affiliation

Psychology Department, Pace University, New York, NY 10038, USA. ayasik@pace.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.06.005

PMID

16920073

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the wealth of information in adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) literature, few studies have explored the memory and learning performance of trauma-exposed youth. This study examined if memory deficits are associated with PTSD or with trauma exposure in the absence of PTSD. METHODS: Youth exposed to traumatic incidents underwent clinical interviews to diagnose PTSD and exclude major comorbid disorders. Youth with conditions that could impede performance on a memory scale (e.g., limited intellectual functioning, current substance abuse, psychopharmacological treatment) were excluded. Three groups of participants were identified (PTSD positives [n = 29], traumatized PTSD negatives [n = 62], and nontraumatized control subjects [n = 40]). Participants completed the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML). RESULTS: Youth with PTSD evidenced significantly lower scores on the WRAML General Memory, Verbal Memory, and Learning indices compared with nontraumatized control subjects. With the exception of Verbal Memory, youth with and without PTSD performed comparably on all other indices. Nonsignificant differences were noted on the Visual Memory Index. CONCLUSIONS: General memory and verbal memory impairments as evidenced in adult populations were observed among this sample of youth. Given the developmental trajectory of memory capabilities, the implications of such early trauma exposure and memory deficits are considered.

Language: en