The role of memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: A review of memory impairments and memory-based theories

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric syndrome caused by exposure to threatening events such as war, car accidents, and physical and sexual assault. The experience of psychological trauma can have long-term cognitive effects. The symptoms of PTSD include changes in cognitive processes such as memory, attention, planning, and problem-solving and destructive effects on a person's performance. In the research background of this disorder cognitive defects been emphasized, such as memory defects, and their role in the continuation of the disorder. The present study was conducted to review the existing theories about memory deficits in people with PTSD and theories that explain post-traumatic stress disorder, focusing on the role of memory in this disorder. The related Keywords to this research topic were searched in reliable databases such as Science Direct, Elsevier, Google Scholar, PubMed, and APA PsycNet in the period 2000 to 2022. The results of this survey show that one of the most prominent symptoms of these people is the experience of disturbing symptoms, which play an important role in memory disorders, and focusing on the reduction of these symptoms or eliminating them can lead to better treatment responses. Though that, for more effective treatments, clinical studies, and actions are still needed.