AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY DISTURBANCE IN COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER

Vietnam combat veterans with (n = 19) and without (n = 13) posttraumat ic stress disorder (PTSD) participated in an autobiographical memory e xperiment in which they attempted to retrieve specific personal memori es exemplifying traits denoted by positive (e.g. loyal) and negative ( e.g. guilty) cue words. Veterans with PTSD exhibited difficulties retr ieving specific autobiographical memories, especially in response to p ositive trait cue words. These deficits were especially pronounced in PTSD Ss who wore Vietnam War regalia (e.g. medals, fatigues) to the la boratory. Regalia-wearing PTSD Ss disproportionately retrieved memorie s from the Vietnam War, unlike other Ss who retrieved relatively recen t memories. Wearing regalia in daily life may be emblematic of psychol ogical fixation to a war fought more than two decades ago. Difficultie s remembering one's past may underlie difficulties envisioning one's f uture, as reflected in the PTSD symptom of 'future foreshortening', an d difficulties using memory specifically may also hamper efforts to so lve personal problems.