PRECONSCIOUS PROCESSING OF THREAT IN POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER

Conscious and preconscious processing of threatening information in po sttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was studied using a masked modified Stroop paradigm. Twenty subjects who had been in motor vehicle accide nts (MVAs) and met criteria for PTSD were compared with 20 MVA non-PTS D and 20 non-MVA subjects. PTSD subjects, but not MVA or non-MVA subje cts, demonstrated greater interference on threat words in both the mas ked and unmasked conditions. The results suggest that preferential pro cessing of threat-related information in PTSD occurs at a preconscious stage of processing.