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Trauma memories can suddenly return when survivors are exposed to material that reminds them of the event-a process known as “triggering” which can be very distressing. Trigger warnings are intended to help mitigate this potential distress. However, Flinders University psychology researchers warn that trigger warnings do not lessen the blow of recalling past trauma.
However, the new study published in Memory suggests that warning messages may not adequately prepare people to recall a negative experience but may instead prolong bad memories.
The study was conducted with 209 mainly female participants, ranging in age from 17-50 years old. They participated in two sessions, two weeks apart. In the first session, participants recalled a negative event and completed a series of questionnaires, including how emotionally impactful the event felt. The second session asked participants to recall the same event again and answer the same questionnaires.