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Effects of Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication on Intrusive Memories Following Exposure to an Analog Trauma Anna E

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Effects of Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication on Intrusive Memories Following Exposure to an Analog Trauma Anna E University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Psychology, Department of Department of Psychology 6-2017 Effects of Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication on Intrusive Memories Following Exposure to an Analog Trauma Anna E. Jaffe University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss Part of the Psychology Commons Jaffe, Anna E., "Effects of Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication on Intrusive Memories Following Exposure to an Analog Trauma" (2017). Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Psychology. 97. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/97 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Psychology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Psychology by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. EFFECTS OF PERITRAUMATIC ALCOHOL INTOXICATION ON INTRUSIVE MEMORIES FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO AN ANALOG TRAUMA by Anna E. Jaffe A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major: Psychology Under the Supervision of Professor David DiLillo Lincoln, Nebraska June, 2017 EFFECTS OF PERITRAUMATIC ALCOHOL INTOXICATION ON INTRUSIVE MEMORIES FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO AN ANALOG TRAUMA Anna Elizabeth Jaffe, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 2018 Adviser: David DiLillo Intrusive memories and associated symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represent a significant public health problem, often leading to persistent physical and psychological difficulties experienced by victims long after the traumatic event, contributing to healthcare costs and loss of productivity. Research examining etiological factors that contribute to PTSD is needed in order to expand basic knowledge and to inform the development of prevention and intervention strategies. Although acute alcohol intoxication has the potential to impact established risk factors for the development of intrusive memories (e.g., via stress response, cognitive processing), and trauma— particularly sexual assault—often occurs under the influence of alcohol, the influence of peritraumatic (i.e., at the time of assault) alcohol intoxication on post-assault trauma symptoms is not well understood. To address this issue, the current study utilized an experimental design, including lab-based alcohol administration (high dose of .72 g/kg, low dose of .36 g/kg, and a placebo beverage), a well-accepted analog trauma exposure paradigm (a film with distressing or “traumatic” content), and ecological momentary assessment of intrusive memories. Results from 98 community women (ages 21 to 30, without a personal history of victimization) revealed peritraumatic intoxication did impact the occurrence of intrusive memories. Specifically, a marginally significant indirect effect showed that alcohol myopia disrupted cognitive processing and formation of trauma memories, resulting in increased intrusive memories at high levels of intoxication. At the same time, those who consumed high or low doses of alcohol displayed a dampened stress response, which reduced intrusive memories. Findings highlight the influence of peritraumatic cognitive impairment and stress response on the development of intrusive memories. Though alcohol influenced these risk factors simultaneously and in opposite directions, overall, participants in the high dose condition reported more intrusive memories than those in the placebo and low dose conditions. These findings reflect the importance of prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing alcohol-involved victimization. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to those whose support throughout my graduate training has made this project possible. Most notably, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my committee chair and graduate mentor, Dr. David DiLillo, for his dedicated mentorship and unwavering support throughout the past six years. I feel truly fortunate to have had such a committed adviser, whose wisdom and guidance have been invaluable to my professional growth and development as a researcher. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Lesa Hoffman, Dr. Debra Hope, and Dr. Matthew Dwyer, for their input on this project. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Lesa Hoffman for providing statistical consultation. I am also grateful to Dr. Kathleen Grant for providing medical advice throughout this project, and to Prof. Emily Holmes for providing guidance on the use of a trauma film paradigm. I would also like to thank Josh Zosky for helping to automate study procedures with Python coding. This project would also not have been possible without such a hardworking, dedicated team of research assistants, including Lesli Alexander, Abigail Ashby, Abigail Cheesman, Darwin Green, Chrissy Harris, Autumn Kramer, Tran Le, Cheyanne MacClain, Andrew McGrath, Abbie Ryan, and Taryn Zastrow. Also vital to the successful completion of this study were the participants; thank you for your time and willingness to help with this project. I also want to acknowledge each member of the Trauma, Violence, and Abuse Lab for providing such helpful input on this project. I have valued our collaborative v approach to research throughout my graduate training, and with respect to this project, particularly appreciated sharing resources for alcohol administration procedures. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, family, and friends. I cannot express enough appreciation for your encouragement and steadfast support. vi GRANT INFORMATION This project was funded by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA023456) under the supervision of David DiLillo, Ph.D., as well as a Dissertation Research Award from the American Psychological Association. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Intrusive Memories ..................................................................................................2 Intrusive Memories and Other PTSD Symptoms ....................................................4 Risk Factors for Intrusions .......................................................................................5 Cognitive Processes .....................................................................................5 Stress Response ............................................................................................7 Summary of Risk Factors for Intrusions ....................................................10 Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication ........................................................................11 Alcohol Myopia .........................................................................................11 Alcohol and Stress-Response Dampening .................................................12 Summary of Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication .......................................13 Peritraumatic Alcohol Intoxication and Intrusions ................................................13 Correlational Studies ..................................................................................14 Summary of Correlational Studies .............................................................16 Experimental Studies .................................................................................17 Summary and Current Study ..................................................................................18 CHAPTER 2: METHOD ...................................................................................................23 Overall Design .......................................................................................................23 Participants .............................................................................................................23 Measures of Primary Study Variables ...................................................................27 Lab Tasks ...................................................................................................27 Alcohol Administration .................................................................27 Alcohol Conditions ............................................................27 Placebo Condition ..............................................................28 Trauma Film Paradigm ..................................................................28 Facial Affect ...................................................................................29 Heart Rate ......................................................................................31 Free Recall Task ............................................................................32 viii Self-Report Measures .................................................................................33 Peritraumatic Cognitive Processing ...............................................33 Intrusive Memory Diary ................................................................34 Trauma Memory ............................................................................36 Demographics ................................................................................37 Procedure ...............................................................................................................37
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