Intergenerational transmission of biased information processing in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following displacement after World War II

An attentional bias for trauma-related stimuli has been demonstrated in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few studies have investigated how biological relatives of individuals with PTSD process trauma-relevant information. To investigate whether parental PTSD is associated with an attentional bias for trauma-related stimuli in adult offspring, we compared performance of individuals displaced after World War II with (n = 22) and without PTSD (n = 24) to a non-displaced healthy control group (n = 11) and their respective offspring as to their processing of trauma-related stimuli in an emotional Stroop task. Evidence for biased information processing was neither found in individuals with PTSD nor their offspring. Possible explanations for the findings and implications for future studies are discussed.

Research highlights▶ No response slowing towards trauma-related stimuli in PTSD subjects. ▶ No response slowing towards trauma-related stimuli in children of PTSD subjects. ▶ Including valence/personal relevance did not influence the results.