Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to examine posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociation as it correlates with cognitive functioning in Iranians who migrated from Iran to the United States between 1978 to 1999. Twenty-five male Iranians and twenty-five female Iranians participated in the study, and completed the Wide Range Achievement Test-Third Edition (WRAT-3), Demographic Interview, Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (DAPS), Dissociation Continuum Scale (DCS), Logical Memory I and II, Family Pictures I and II from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III), Rebus Learning and Rebus Delayed from the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT), Arithmetic and Digit Span from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III), Matrices from the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-Second Edition (KBIT-II), and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Computer Version. This study extended prior research findings that cognitive functioning variables incremented over PTSD in predicting war trauma. As a group, Iranians were elevated on posttraumatic stress and dissociation. Iranians who were more traumatized showed deficits in cognitive functioning and memory recall measures. Specifically, Iranians meeting PTSD Criteria showed deficits in Arithmetic, Digit Span, Logical Memory I, and Family Pictures I. Furthermore, the number of childhood traumas related to PTSD, avoidance, arousal, and DCS. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed as well as directions for future research.