title: Fabricated trauma exposure: an analysis of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors.
abstract: The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was a disaster of unparalleled dimension in the United States. The professional response included the development of systematic clinical and research programs. This article describes the case of a child who, as a participant in a research study, appeared to fabricate a story of bomb-related loss. The research and clinical records of this child were examined and analyzed according to the factors and conditions that might underlie this fabrication. These include issues related to memory and suggestibility, symptom contagion, and mass hysteria. The report describes the role of psychological vulnerability in trauma and this child's coping and adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190-3048, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pfefferbaum
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Lindsey
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Whittlesey
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D005107:Explosions; D005162:Factitious Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008399:Mass Behavior; D011939:Mental Recall; D009825:Oklahoma; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D013404:Suggestion