Avoidant encoding in acute stress disorder: a prospective study.

This study investigated the relationship between ongoing posttraumatic adjustment and encoding style. Eleven acute stress disorder (ASD) participants and 14 non-traumatized controls completed the item method of directed forgetting and were retested 1 year later. Trauma-related, positive and neutral words were followed by a "remember" or "forget" instruction. At Time 1, ASD participants demonstrated directed forgetting for trauma and neutral words; controls showed directed forgetting for all word types. At Time 2, directed forgetting was replicated in controls for each word type, but only for neutral words in the ASD group. Directed forgetting effects were absent for positive words in the ASD group. The findings raise the possibility that individuals who develop ASD possess an encoding style for positive material that reflects a trait-like manner of information processing.