Validity of adult retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences: review of the evidence

Hardt, Jochen; Rutter, Michael

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00218.x

Cited by 2,335 publications

(1,743 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…Given this and our sample size, subsamples based on type of I‐ELT were not tested individually. We note, though, that a recent study on the validity of retrospective reports (Hardt & Rutter, 2004) suggests the greatest bias occurs in the details of abuse, not whether abuse occurs, suggesting that the broad level of classification used in the present study (I‐ELT + vs. I‐ELT − ) is most appropriate given our sample size and population. Considering these factors, we believe that our findings, while limited in terms of the impact of various abuse‐related traumas, do provide consistent and important findings that support greater efforts towards characterizing the cognitive and neural impact of interpersonal trauma in childhood.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

et al. 2017

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IntroductionInterpersonal early life trauma (I‐ELT) is associated with a myriad of functional impairments in adulthood, increased risk of drug addiction, and neuropsychiatric disorders. While deficits in emotional regulation and amygdala functioning are well characterized, deficits in general cognitive functioning have also been documented. However, the neural underpinnings of cognitive dysfunction in adults with a history of I‐ELT and the potential relationship between amygdala‐based functional connectivity and behavioral performance are currently poorly understood. This study examined how I‐ELT affects the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting sustained attention.MethodsA total of 66 Veterans (18 with and 48 without a history of I‐ELT) completed a nonemotional sustained attention task during functional MRI.ResultsThe individuals with I‐ELT showed significant impairments in sustained attention (i.e., higher error rates, greater response variability). This cohort exhibited increased amygdala functional connectivity with the prefrontal cortex and decreased functional connectivity with the parahippocampal gyrus when compared to those without I‐ELT. These connections were significantly correlated with individual differences in sustained attention performance. Notably, classification analyses revealed that the pattern of amygdala connectivity across the whole brain was able to classify I‐ELT status with 70% accuracy.ConclusionThese results provide evidence of a lasting negative impact for those with a history of I‐ELT on sustained attention ability. They also highlight a critical role for amygdala functioning in cognitive control and sustained attention for those with a history of I‐ELT, which may underlie the observed attention deficits in clinical assessments and cognitive tests involving both emotional and nonemotional stimuli.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

et al. 2017

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“…Extensive reviews of documented childhood experiences have found that people are more likely to have forgotten past negative events they have experienced than to have remembered events they have not (Brewin, Andrews, & Gotlib, 1993; Hardt & Rutter, 2004). These reviews point to evidence that younger and older people's reports of their childhoods are more in accord with those of independent observers than with their parents' reports.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating Memories for False Autobiographical Events in Childhood: A Systematic Review

Brewin

Andrews

2016

Applied Cognitive Psychology

105

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SummaryUsing a framework that distinguishes autobiographical belief, recollective experience, and confidence in memory, we review three major paradigms used to suggest false childhood events to adults: imagination inflation, false feedback and memory implantation. Imagination inflation and false feedback studies increase the belief that a suggested event occurred by a small amount such that events are still thought unlikely to have happened. In memory implantation studies, some recollective experience for the suggested events is induced on average in 47% of participants, but only in 15% are these experiences likely to be rated as full memories. We conclude that susceptibility to false memories of childhood events appears more limited than has been suggested. The data emphasise the complex judgements involved in distinguishing real from imaginary recollections and caution against accepting investigator‐based ratings as necessarily corresponding to participants' self‐reports. Recommendations are made for presenting the results of these studies in courtroom settings. © 2016 The Authors Applied Cognitive Psychology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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“…First, the method of retrospective self-report could lack validity, as self-reports may be influenced by forgetting, lack of awareness, or reporting bias related to emotional states or gender roles (Tolin & Foa, 2006). However, false negatives appear to be more common than false positives in the general population, and possible biased associations between retrospective reports of CMT and psychopathology may be the result of the rehearsal of memories, rather than bias related to current emotional states (Hardt & Rutter, 2004). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood maltreatment trauma: a comparison between patients in treatment for substance use disorders and patients in mental health treatment

Rasmussen¹,

Arefjord

Winje

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: While previous research has found strong associations between childhood maltreatment trauma and substance use disorders (SUDs), the role of possible moderating effects of gender and mediating effects of psychopathology and SUD is unclear.Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate differences in self-reported childhood maltreatment trauma, general psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress symptoms between 112 patients in treatment for substance use disorders (SUD group) and 112 matched controls with mild to moderate mental health disorders (comparison group).Methods: Childhood maltreatment trauma was measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form (CTQ-SF). General psychological distress was measured by the Symptom Checklist-90 – Revised (SCL-90-R), and post-traumatic stress symptoms were measured by the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R).Results: The SUD group reported more severe childhood maltreatment trauma than the comparison group. Females in the SUD group reported more severe and various forms of trauma compared to males. The SUD group reported higher mean scores on the SCL-90-R, but the proportions of people with caseness scores on the IES-R and the SCL-90-R were similar in the two samples. The SUD group reported more avoidance symptoms than the comparison group.Conclusion: This study adds further evidence to the repeatedly found strong associations between childhood maltreatment trauma and SUD, implying that the prevention of childhood maltreatment trauma may reduce the occurrence of SUD. Furthermore, patients with SUD should be screened for childhood maltreatment trauma, and the results should be applied in trauma-informed as well as trauma-focused interventions aimed to help this population. The association appears to be particularly strong for female substance users.

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Validity of adult retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences: review of the evidence

Abstract: Retrospective studies have a worthwhile place in research, but further research is needed to examine possible biases in reporting.

Cited by 2,335 publications

References 110 publications

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

Creating Memories for False Autobiographical Events in Childhood: A Systematic Review

Childhood maltreatment trauma: a comparison between patients in treatment for substance use disorders and patients in mental health treatment

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