On post-traumatic stress disorder and the accessibility of memories: traumatic memories in refugees and asylum seekers.

Fifty-six refugees and asylum seekers, with and without post-traumatic stress symptoms, and their autobiographical memories about traumatic experiences were evaluated with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, which allows the evaluation of traumatic symptoms and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the Phenomenological Questionnaire on Autobiographical Memory (CCFRA/ PQAM) that allows analysing the characteristics of their memories about quality, associated emotions, and memory accessibility. Results showed that 30.4% of participants met criteria for PTSD, which affects the difficulty to put into words what had happened. Participants did not report cases of amnesia, but rather memories that met the criteria for flashbulb memories, in line with the Continuous Accessibility Model of Memory, where limitations in remembering could range from amnesia to PTSD, with flashbulb memories being the non-pathological prelude to the latter. The findings challenge misconceptions about trauma memory and highlight the role of resilience, with implications for justice and asylum procedures.