[Childhood amnesia and emotional trauma. Easiest to prompt the smallest children to provide erroneous details concerning abuse].
A basic understanding of children's memories for emotional trauma is of importance for physicians and other health care professionals. The aim of this paper is to describe recent research and discuss important dilemmas within this field. The ability of infants and toddlers to verbally describe autobiographical memories is for several reasons limited. Very early experiences of e.g. intense pain can leave traces in the nervous system but of a kind which is not specific enough to allow retrospective conclusions about the nature of these experiences. Research during the past decades has relatively consistently demonstrated that pre-school children are more vulnerable to suggestion including abuse-related suggestions than are older children and adults. However, many children who have been subject to sexual abuse seem to maintain a lifelong silence about their experiences. The use of autobiographical testimony from young children is more complex and risky than many professionals believed about a decade ago. Establishing the knowledge derived from recent years' research in this area as a basis for clinical practice is one of the most important tasks for the future.
Sjöberg
R L
RL
Enheten för barn och trauma, institutionen för folkhälsovetenskap, Karolinska institutet. hsn996g@tninet.se
D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008568:Memory; D012106:Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D013404:Suggestion; D014705:Verbal Behavior