Design: An emotional Stroop task was used to examine the difference in attending to emotional and neutral stimuli. Participants typically take longer to name the color of ink the word is presented in when the word is an emotional word. We utilized a “combat” emotional Stroop task to examine affective control processes in OEF/OIF Veterans. The critical stimulus list included combat-related words such as FALLUJA, KANDAHAR, MARTYR, and IED.
Results: Compared to the Veteran control group, the patients showed slower RTs across all stimulus conditions. RTs were significantly slower for combat-related words relative to neutral words in all participants, but the effect in the patient group was over three times as large as that seen in the controls. There was a significant correlation between the size of the combat Stroop effect and the score on the PTSD Checklist (PCL-M). Of the three PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, hyperarousal), the greatest correlation was with the re-experiencing subscale.
Previously published in BMC Psychiatry - Ashley, V., Honzel, N., Larsen, J., Justus, T. & Swick, D. (2013). Attentional bias for trauma-related words: Exaggerated emotional Stroop effect in Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans with PTSD. BMC Psychiatry. 13, 86.
