Recovered memory of childhood sexual trauma: a documented case from a longitudinal study.
A case of recovered memory of childhood trauma is reported with documented sexual trauma in early childhood, chronicled evidence of the absence of memory for traumatic experience over a period of time, and substantial evidence of 'spontaneous' recovery of memory. This account contains the first available prospective report of memory loss in a case in which there is both documented evidence of trauma and evidence of recovery of memory. The case emerged as part of a broadband, large-scale study of children followed closely from birth to adulthood which was not focused on memory for trauma. Prospective data gathered in a neutral research context, corroborated and supplemented by retrospective information, circumvent many limitations of previous retrospective accounts of recovered memories.
Duggal
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Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Sroufe
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LA
D000293:Adolescent; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007179:Incest / Q000523:psychology*; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008568:Memory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies