Anne P. DePrince
Child Clinical and DCN

My research focuses on the relationship between trauma, emotion, cognition, and posttraumatic distress (e.g., PTSD, dissociation) within a developmental psychopathology framework. My research draws on multiple methodologies (e.g., laboratory cognitive tasks, clinical interviews, survey methodology), as well as theories from diverse psychological perspectives. I am interested in research with children, adolescents and adults across several broad research lines.

Trauma and Cognition: I investigate trauma and information processing (e.g., attention and memory) in both children and adults. We use various laboratory tasks (e.g., Stroop, directed forgetting, negative priming) to examine the relationship between dissociation, attentional context, basic cognitive processes and processing of emotion stimuli.

Trauma, Affect and Distress: I am interested in the relationship between emotions/cognitions and posttraumatic distress. Among adult participants who report childhood abuse, my research suggests that self-reported feelings of betrayal in the present predict PTSD avoidance and dissociative symptoms (somatic dissociation, cognitive dissociation and alexithymia) after controlling for self-reported fear. Empirical and theoretical advancement in understanding the relationship between betrayal and avoidance symptoms is likely to provide important considerations for interventions. Along these lines, I am interested in how individuals' narratives for traumatic events inform our understanding of posttraumatic distress, as well as the intergenerational transmission of traumatic stress symptoms.

Trauma and Social Cognition: Individuals who experience childhood trauma are at increased risk for a range of difficulties (e.g., revictimization, engaging in HIV-risky behaviors). I am interested in how alterations in social cognition (e.g., processing information about social relationships, theory of mind performance, emotion recognition) inform our understanding of increased risk. We are currently conducting several studies that test models of the relationships between trauma, later risk, and social cognition.

Ethics in Research: I am interested in how participants respond to studies in which they are asked to report on their experiences of trauma. We have a growing line of research that focuses on the cost-benefit ratio in trauma research.

Representative Publications:

DePrince, A.P. & Freyd, J.J. (in press). Forgetting trauma stimuli. Psychological Science.

DePrince, A.P., Becker, K.A. & Freyd, J.J. (in press). New conceptualization of memory and cognitive schemas for children who have been sexually abused. In L.E.A. Walker, S.W. Gold, & B.A. Lucenko (Eds.) Handbook on Sexual Abuse of Children: Assessment, Treatment, and Legal Issues. New York: Springer.

DePrince, A.P. & Freyd, J.J. (2002) The intersection of gender and betrayal in trauma. In R. Kimerling, P.C. Ouimette, & J. Wolfe (Eds.), Gender and PTSD (pp. 98-113). New York: Guilford Press.

DePrince, A.P. & Freyd, J.J. (2002). The harm of trauma: Pathological fear, shattered assumptions or betrayal? J. Kauffman (Ed.) Loss of the Assumptive World (pp. 71-82). New York: Taylor and Francis.

DePrince, A.P. & Freyd, J.J. (2001). Memory and dissociative tendencies: The roles of attentional context and word meaning. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 2, 67-82.

DePrince, A.P. & Freyd, J.J. (2001). The meeting of trauma & cognitive science: Facing challenges and creating opportunities at the crossroads. In Freyd, J.J. & DePrince, A.P. (Eds), Trauma and Cognitive Science: A Meeting of Minds, Science, and Human Experience (pp. 1-8). New York: Haworth Press (Published simultaneously as a Special Issue of the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma and as a book published by Haworth Press).

Freyd, J.J. & DePrince, A.P. (2001). Perspectives on memory for trauma and cognitive processes associated with dissociative tendencies. In Freyd, J.J. & DePrince, A.P. (Eds), Trauma and Cognitive Science: A Meeting of Minds, Science, and Human Experience (pp. 137-164). New York: Haworth Press (Published simultaneously as a Special Issue of the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma and as a book published by Haworth Press).

Freyd, J.J., DePrince, A.P., & Zurbriggen, E.L. (2001). Self-reported memory for abuse depends upon victim-perpetrator relationship. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 2, 5-16.

DePrince, A.P. and Freyd, J.J. (1999). Dissociation, attention and memory. Psychological Science, 10, 449-452.

Anne P. Deprince
Ph.D. 2001,
University of Oregon

Assistant Professor
office: Frontier Hall,
Rm. 340
phone: 303.871.2939
e-mail: adeprince@nova.psy.du.edu
website

Director
Traumatic Stress Studies Lab

Faculty Member
Stress Research Network