Autobiographical memory performance in cancer survivors with PTSD

This study aimed to determine the relationship between the ability to retrieve episodic and semantic autobiographical information from previous lifetime periods and post-traumatic stress disorder. To this end, a group of women with cancer who suffered from PTSD and a control group were matched for age and IQ. Participants completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) and Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI), followed by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the translated versions of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). The cancer survivors were able to generate fewer specific episodic and semantic details about the past compared to the control group. The amount of these defects had a direct relationship with PTSD specific symptoms. The more symptomatic survivors showed greater memory impairment. The data from this study were discussed in terms of compromised access to specific autobiographical material in distressed trauma survivors reflecting a process of affect regulation.