Trauma-induced dissociative amnesia in World War I combat soldiers.
OBJECTIVE
This study relates trauma-induced dissociative amnesia reported in World War I (WW I) studies of war trauma to contemporary findings of dissociative amnesia in victims of childhood sexual abuse.


METHODS
Key diagnostic studies of post-traumatic amnesia in WW I combatants are surveyed. These cover phenomenology and the psychological dynamics of dissociation vis-à-vis repression.


RESULTS
Descriptive evidence is cited for war trauma-induced dissociative amnesia.


CONCLUSIONS
Posttraumatic amnesia extends beyond the experience of sexual and combat trauma and is a protean symptom, which reflects responses to the gamut of traumatic events.
van der Hart
O
O
Department of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. onnovdh@wxs.nl
Brown
P
P
Graafland
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D014857:Warfare