Event memory and suggestibility in abused and neglected children: trauma-related psychopathology and cognitive functioning
Abstract
This study examined event memory and suggestibility in 3- to 16-year-olds involved in forensic investigations of child maltreatment. A total of 322 children were interviewed about a play activity with an unfamiliar adult. Comprehensive measures of individual differences in trauma-related psychopathology and cognitive functioning were administered. Sexually and/or physically abused children obtained higher dissociation scores than neglected children, and sexually abused children were more likely to obtain a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder than physically abused children, neglected children, and children with no substantiated abuse histories. Overall, older children and children with better cognitive functioning produced more correct information and fewer memory errors. Abuse status per se did not significantly predict children's memory or suggestibility whether considered alone or in interaction with age. However, among highly dissociative children, more trauma symptoms were associated with greater inaccuracy, whereas trauma symptoms were not associated with increased error for children who were lower in dissociative tendencies. Implications of the findings for understanding eyewitness memory in maltreated children are discussed.
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Dissociative symptoms have been linked to reduced attention, executive functioning, and memory performance in healthy individuals, trauma-exposed individuals from general and military populations, and in military and civilian psychiatric samples, including individuals with PTSD, BPD, MDD, DID, and DPD.
“Specifically, dissociative symptoms have been linked to reduced attention, executive functioning, and memory performance in healthy individuals (Amrhein et al., 2008;Bergouignan et al., 2014;Brewin et al., 2013;Bruce et al., 2007;Freyd et al., 1998;Olsen and Beck, 2012), trauma-exposed individuals from general (Cromer et al., 2006) and military populations (Morgan et al., 2006), and in military”
From A review of the relation between dissociation, memory, executive functioning and social cognition in military members and civilians with neuropsychiatric conditions (2016) · cites this paper as Chae et al., 2011
Among traumatized children, trauma symptoms were associated with reduced accuracy on an interview measuring recall for a play activity that had occurred three days prior only among those who were identified as high dissociators.
“Chae et al. (2011) reported that among traumatized children, trauma symptoms were associated with reduced accuracy on an interview measuring recall for a play activity that had occurred three days prior only among those who were identified as high dissociators.”
From A review of the relation between dissociation, memory, executive functioning and social cognition in military members and civilians with neuropsychiatric conditions (2016) · cites this paper as Chae et al., 2011
These findings are consistent with evidence of disrupted episodic and autobiographical memory among individuals with high levels of pathological dissociation.
“these findings are consistent with evidence of disrupted episodic and autobiographical memory among individuals with high levels of pathological dissociation (e.g., Chae et al., 2011;Roca et al., 2006).”
From A review of the relation between dissociation, memory, executive functioning and social cognition in military members and civilians with neuropsychiatric conditions (2016) · cites this paper as Chae et al., 2011
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“…that childhood maltreatment may have a detrimental effect on memory performance due to maltreatmentrelated sequelae (e.g., Bremner & Narayan, 1998; Cicchetti & Rogosch, 2001a, 2001b), as indicated by empirical findings that adults with maltreatment histories are more likely than comparable…”
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Perfect, M. M., Turley, M. R., Carlson, J. S., Yohanna, J., & Saint Gilles, M. P. (2016) · School Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s12310-016-9175-2 · Cited by 382 · see citing works
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“Critically, these findings are consistent with evidence of disrupted episodic and autobiographical memory among individuals with high levels of pathological dissociation (e.g., Chae et al., 2011; Roca et al., 2006).”
Influential
- Authors
- Chae, Y., Goodman, G. S., Eisen, M. L., & Qin, J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- California State University Los Angeles (US)
- California State University, Sacramento (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chae, Yoojin
- Goodman, Gail S.
- Venue
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-12
- Volume
- 110
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 520-538
- ISSN
- 0022-0965 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2163617457
- Cited by
- 66
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
- Keywords
- event memory, suggestibility, child abuse, child neglect, dissociation, post-traumatic stress disorder, eyewitness memory, memory errors, cognitive function, age differences, forensic interviewing, trauma symptoms
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Child, Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Sexual, Child, Preschool, Cognition, Dissociative Disorders, Female, Humans, Interview, Psychological, Male, Memory, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychological Tests, Suggestion, Wechsler Scales
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