Quality of memories in battered women: Analysis of positive narratives.

OBJECTIVES

In recent years, the evidence regarding the characteristics of positive autobiographical memories in the field of posttraumatic stress disorder has gained increasing interest. The objective of this study was to add to the evidence in this area by analyzing the characteristics of positive memories in a specific trauma population, namely victims of intimate partner violence.

METHOD: The study compared the narratives of highly positive events of 50 battered women (trauma-exposed group) with those of 50 nonexposed women (controls).

RESULTS

The results show that, compared with the narratives of the control group, the narratives of the trauma-exposed group contained fewer references to positive emotions and achievement and more words related to the first person and mistreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the hypothesis that the consequences of trauma can impact the characteristics of positive autobiographical memories. The resulting clinical implications point toward the possible relevance of adding work with positive memories to the clinical approach to trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).