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Forgetting child abuse: Feldman‐Summers and Pope's (1994) study replicated among Dutch psychologists
Author(s) -
Westerhof Yvonne,
Woertman Liesbeth,
van der Hart Onno,
Nijenhuis Ellert
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0879
pISSN - 1063-3995
DOI - 10.1002/1099-0879(200007)7:3<220::aid-cpp243>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - forgetting , psychology , sexual abuse , motivated forgetting , clinical psychology , psychiatry , injury prevention , poison control , medicine , cognitive psychology , environmental health
In a replication of Feldman‐Summers and Pope's (1994) national survey of American Psychologists on ‘forgetting’ childhood abuse, a Dutch sample of 500 members of the Netherlands Institute of Psychologists (NIP), were asked if they had been abused as children, and, if so, whether they had ever forgotten some or all of the abuse for some significant period of time. As compared to the 23.9% in the original study, 13.3% reported childhood abuse. Of that subgroup, 39% (as compared to 40% in the original study) reported a period of forgetting some or all of the abuse for a period of time. Both sexual and non‐sexual physical abuse were subject to forgetting which in 70% of cases was reversed while being in therapy. Almost 70% of those who reported forgetting also reported corroboration of the abuse. The forgetting was not related to gender or age, but was associated with the reported early abuse onset. These results were remarkably similar to the results of Feldman‐ Summers and Pope's original study. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.