Citation

Amir N, Stafford J, Freshman MS, Foa EB. J. Trauma. Stress 1998; 11(2): 385-392.

Affiliation

Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1023/A:1024415523495

PMID

9565923

Abstract

In this study we examined the relationship between posttrauma pathology and the level of articulation (complexity) in rape narratives recounted by victims shortly after the assault. Degree of articulation was operationalized as the reading level of the narrative as determined by a computer program. Shortly after the trauma, reading level was correlated with severity of anxiety but not with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Degree of the narrative articulation shortly after the trauma, however, was related to severity of later PTSD. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the less developed trauma narratives hinder recovery from trauma.

Language: en