Revision of the Word Association Test for assessing associations of patients reporting satanic ritual abuse in childhood.
A growing number of psychiatric patients report satanic ritual abuse, prompting research into this controversial area. In the current study, the Word Association Test (WAT) was modified to assess experience with satanic abuse. Pilot work resulted in norms for two domains: normative and satanic. Female psychiatric patients were compared on their associations in two studies. Based on a sexual history, they were grouped into those reporting sexual abuse, those reporting satanic ritual abuse (SRA), and those without a history of sexual abuse (controls). In both studies, SRA patients gave significantly more total associations, significantly fewer normative associations, and significantly more satanic associations than did the other two groups. These results suggest that an experience base is shared by individuals reporting SRA that is not found in individuals who do not report satanic abuse (even if they do report sexual abuse). The implications of these findings are discussed from the perspective of arguments advanced by advocates and critics of SRA.
Leavitt
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F
Department of Psychology and Social Sciences, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Labott
S M
SM
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009781:Occultism; D014936:Word Association Tests