Features of Early Childhood Memories: Does Quality of Memory act as a Potential Buffer Against the Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Aggression in Young Adulthood?

Abstract

By developing a multidimensional assessment of early memories, this study investigated whether positive, negative, social, or sensory aspects of childhood memories of feeling loved and safe acted as a protective factor against the effects of childhood maltreatment on young adult hostile cognitions and aggression in an ethnically diverse sample of young women. Participants responded to a written prompt of early childhood memories and responses were coded by three independent coders who met good interrater reliability levels (ICC > 0.80) across all codes.Replicating previous studies on the transgenerational cycle of aggression, there was a significant relationship between childhood maltreatment and young adult aggression; however, this association was only present for those who had very little sensory information in their childhood memory. This research demonstrates the utility of a time-sensitive, standardized writing task that can be empirically coded to be used in future research on the construct of early childhood memories of feeling loved and safe. In addition, there was a protective effect of the sensory dimension on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and young adult hostile cognitions, which calls attention for future directions in research on investigating which sensory domains (i.e. visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) are most protective. Future research should also target additional dimensions that may serve as protective mechanisms for intergenerational trauma.