Maltreated children's memory: Accuracy, suggestibility, and psychopathology.

Abstract

Memory, suggestibility, stress arousal, and trauma-related psychopathology were examined in 328 3- to 16-year-olds involved in forensic investigations of abuse and neglect. Children's memory and suggestibility were assessed for a medical examination and venipuncture. Being older and scoring higher in cognitive functioning were related to fewer inaccuracies. In addition, cortisol level and trauma symptoms in children who reported more dissociative tendencies were associated with increased memory error, whereas cortisol level and trauma symptoms were not associated with increased error for children who reported fewer dissociative tendencies. Sexual and/or physical abuse predicted greater accuracy. The study contributes important new information to scientific understanding of maltreatment, psychopathology, and eyewitness memory in children.

Memories of an Autopsy: The Effects of Stress Exposure on Suggestibility for a Stressful Event

“…However, the results of the current study are consistent with the literature on anxiety and eyewitness memory which finds anxious participants to incorporate misleading information into memory, but also finds no significant differences in responses to information consistent with the to-be-remembered material (Ridley & Clifford 2004, 2006. The results of the current study are also consistent with previous literature showing a decrease in suggestibility for maltreated children (Eisen et al, 2007).…”

“…Other research has examined whether children with maltreatment histories, specifically physical and sexual abuse, recall an anogenital exam better than children with a history of neglect. Although children with and without histories of maltreatment did not differ in their suggestibility regarding the anogenital exam, children with maltreatment histories of physical and sexual abuse were less suggestible to misleading questions about this event than were children who experienced neglect (Eisen, Goodman, Qin, Davis, & Crayton, 2007). …”

Maltreatment increases spontaneous false memories but decreases suggestion‐induced false memories in children

“…This is a hitherto unreported finding. Previous work has found that maltreated and non‐maltreated children did not differ with respect to their levels of suggestibility (Eisen et al ., 2007). It is unclear why the present results deviate from those obtained in previous work.…”

Memory Development and Trauma in Preschool Children: Implications for Forensic Interviewing Professionals - A Review of the Literature

“…In regards to the impact of trauma, Eisen et al [13] found that the cortisol level and trauma symptoms in children who reported more dissociative tendencies were associated with increased memory error. However, cortisol level and trauma symptoms were not associated with increased error for children who reported fewer dissociative tendencies.…”

“…"Such knowledge is essential to explain theories about trauma and memory and to ensure proper application of memory research" to forensic settings and legal cases [13]. In a study of 328 children aged 3 to 16 years involved in forensic investigations of abuse and neglect, Eisen et al [13] examined the impact of a stressful medical event on children's memory, suggestibility, stress arousal, and trauma-related psychopathology. Results indicate that being older and scoring higher in cognitive functioning was related to fewer inaccuracies in memory retrieval.…”