Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Bauer, Gordon

Keywords

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Uganda, Working Memory

Area of Concentration

Biological Psychology

Abstract

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a life altering disorder, which is characterized by three major symptoms: intrusion, avoidance and hyper-vigilance. These symptoms interrupt every day functioning including cognitive functioning such as working memory. Studies on veterans have found that a general decline in working memory is present in veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD as opposed to veterans without PTSD. Few studies have been conducted on working memory functioning in children with PTSD, and those that have been conducted have had variable results, and did not study the effect of the extent of trauma or individual trauma symptomology on working memory. The goal of the present study was to determine whether working memory and trauma symptomology in a population of Ugandan orphans with early childhood traumas were correlated. Forty orphans (21 female, and 19 males) from an orphanage in rural Kumi, Uganda were screened for childhood traumas and trauma symptomology, specifically aversion and intrusion symptoms. Participants each completed three working memory tests: an intentional picture memory task, an incidental picture memory task and a digit span task. PTSD symptomology was viewed both on a continuum and as static and analyzed in both situations. No differences were found in the working memory test scores of children with high PTSD symptomology versus those with low PTSD symptomology, nor did specific traumas experienced effect the test scores.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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