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Dr. August Piper (1999)
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Other Scholarly Resources > 22 Peer-Reviewed Studies About Amnesia and Child Abuse

1-10 | 11-22

The recovery of memories in clinical practice: Experiences and beliefs of British Psychological Society practitioners

Andrews, Bernice; Morton, John; Bekerian, Debra A.; Brewin, Chris R.; Davis, Graham M.; Mollon, Phil
The Psychologist
1995 May, Vol. 8, pp. 209-214
This article does not have a traditional abstract, so I have selected a few quotes from the article, including the author note. "The authors were members of the Society's Working Party on Recovered Memories. In February the Society published the Working Party's report. Here the results of the survey, which formed a part of the report, are published in full." "The findings suggest that ... recovery from total amnesia of past traumatic material involving both CSA and non-CSA experiences is by no means an uncommon feature of clinical practice among our highly trained professional members." "... our large-scale survey confirms and extends previous research... Memory recovery appears to be a robust and frequent phenomenon."

Recovered Memories of Trauma: Phenomenology and Cognitive Mechanisms
Berwin, Chris B. and Bernice Andrews.
Clinical Psychology Review
Vol. 18, 949-970 (1998).

Self-reported amnesia for abuse in adults molested as children
Briere, John; Conte, Jon R.
U Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, US
Journal of Traumatic Stress
1993 Jan Vol 6(1) 21-31
Studied 450 adult clinical Ss reporting sexual abuse histories regarding their repression of sexual abuse incidents. 267 Ss identified some period in their lives, before 18 yrs of age, when they had no memory of their abuse. Variables most predictive of abuse-related amnesia (ARA) were greater current psychological symptoms, molestation at an early age, extended abuse, and variables reflecting especially violent abuse (e.g., victimization by multiple perpetrators, having been physically injured as a result of the abuse, victim fears of death if she or he disclosed the abuse to others). In contrast, abuse characteristics more likely to produce physiological conflict were not associated with ARA. Results are interpreted as supporting Freud's (1954, 1966) initial "seduction hypothesis."

Memory presentations of childhood sexual abuse
Burgess AW; Hartman CR; Baker T
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv (UNITED STATES) Sep 1995, Vol 33 (9) 9-16.
Questions are continually raised about the accuracy and validity of very young children's memories of traumatic events. Out of 19 children, where the median age was 2 1/2 at time of disclosure, 11 had full verbal memory, five had fragmented verbal memory traces, and three had no memory 5 to 10 years following day care sexual abuse. Data from this clinical study suggest the nature of children's memory is four-dimensional: somatic, behavioral, verbal, and visual. Efforts need to continue to document the nonverbal components for assessment and treatment purposes.

Women survivors confronting their abusers: Issues, decisions, and outcomes
Cameron, Catherine
U La Verne, Behavioral Science Dept, CA, US
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
1994 Vol 3(1) 7-35
Surveyed 72 women who entered therapy in the mid-1980s to deal with the long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse. 51 Ss were surveyed again in 1988 and 1992. In general, responses to the 1st survey were characterized by a desire to confront without the readiness to do so, responses to Survey 2 by completed confrontations, and responses to Survey 3 by reconfrontations. Findings support recommendations regarding helping clients to plan, practice, and carry out confrontations safely. More recognition should be given to the aftermath of confrontation, debriefing, and reconfrontation, and to survivors with specialized needs, such as women formerly amnesic to their abuse.

Accuracy, timing and circumstances of disclosure in therapy of recovered and continuous memories of abuse.
Dalenberg, Constance J.
CSPP, Trauma Research Inst, San Diego, CA, US
Journal of Psychiatry & Law
1996 Sum Vol 24(2) 229-275
Investigated the accuracy of recovered and continuous memories in 17 women (average age 29.5 yrs) who had recovered memories of physical or sexual abuse by their fathers while in therapy. Ss and their 43-72 yr old fathers cooperated in gathering physical evidence confirming or refuting these memories. This evidence was analyzed and rated by 6 independent judges recruited for the purpose. Memories of abuse were found to be equally accurate whether recovered or continuously remembered. Predictors of number of memory units for which evidence was uncovered included several measures of memory and perceptual accuracy. Recovered memories that were later supported arose in psychotherapy more typically during periods of positive rather than negative feeling toward the therapist, and they were more likely to be held with confidence by the abuse victim.

Posttraumatic stress associated with delayed recall of sexual abuse: A general population study. Special Issue: Research on traumatic memory.
Elliott, Diana M.; Briere, John
U California-Los Angeles Medical Ctr, Child Abuse Crisis Ctr, Harbor
Campus, Torrance, US
Journal of Traumatic Stress
1995 Oct Vol 8(4) 629-647
Examined delayed recall of childhood sexual abuse with 505 Ss. Ss completed the Traumatic Events Survey, Trauma Symptom Inventory, Impact of Event Scale, and the Symptom Checklist. Of Ss who reported a history of sexual abuse, 42% described some period of time when they had less memory of the abuse than they did at the time of data collection. No demographic differences were found between Ss with continuous recall and those who reported delayed recall. However, delayed recall was associated with the use of threats at the time of the abuse. Ss who had recently recalled aspects of their abuse reported particularly high levels of posttraumatic symptomatology and self difficulties at the time of data collection compared to other Ss.

Traumatic events: Prevalence and delayed recall in the general population
Elliott, Diana M.
U California-Los Angeles Medical Ctr, Child Abuse Crisis Ctr, Harbor
Campus, Torrance, US
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
1997 Vol 65, 811-820
A random sample of 724 individuals from across the United States were mailed a questionnaire containing demographic information, an abridged version of the Traumatic Events Survey (DM Elliott, 1992), and questions regarding memory for traumatic events. Of these, 505 (70%) completed the survey. Among respondents who reported some form of trauma (72%), delayed recall of the event was reported by 32%. This phenomenon was most common among individuals who observed the murder or suicide of a family member, sexual abuse survivors, and combat veterans. The severity of the trauma was predictive of memory status, but demographic variables were not. The most commonly reported trigger to recall of the trauma was some form of media presentation (i.e., television show, movie), whereas psychotherapy was the least commonly reported trigger.

The experience of "forgetting" childhood abuse: A national survey of psychologists
Feldman-Summers, Shirley; Pope, Kenneth S.
Independent practice, Edmonds, WA, US
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology
1994 Jun Vol 62(3) 636-639
A national sample of psychologists were asked whether they had been abused as children and, if so, whether they had ever forgotten some or all of the abuse. Almost a quarter of the sample (23.9%) reported childhood abuse, and of those, approximately 40% reported a period of forgetting some or all of the abuse. The major findings were that (1) both sexual and nonsexual abuse were subject to periods of forgetting; (2) the most frequently reported factor related to recall was being in therapy; (3) approximately one half of those who reported forgetting also reported corroboration of the abuse [see comparable percentage in the Pope & Tabachnick (1995) study below]; and (4) reported forgetting was not related to gender or age of the respondent but was related to severity of the abuse.

Do you believe in repressed memories?
Golding, Jonathan M.; Sanchez, Rebecca Polley; Sego, Sandra A
U Kentucky, Dept of Psychology, Lexington, KY, US
Professional Psychology: Research & Practice
1996 Oct Vol 27(5) 429-437
A survey of 613 undergraduates investigated beliefs about and experience with repressed memories. The results indicated that participants (a) had some degree of belief in repressed memories; (b) felt that therapy sometimes leads to false memories being implanted; (c) felt, to some degree, that repressed memory evidence should be allowed in court; and (d) had experience with repressed memories, either personally or through media coverage. Also, the gender of the participants affected many of the ratings (e.g., women had greater belief in and more personal experience with such memories than men). The implications of these results for professionals and laypeople are discussed.