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Developmental and Intervention‐Related Change in Autobiographical Memory Specificity in Maltreated Children: Indirect Effects of Maternal Reminiscing
Author(s) -
Valentino Kristin,
Speidel Ruth,
Lawson Monica
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13556
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , psychology , developmental psychology , randomized controlled trial , child abuse , poison control , autobiographical memory , child development , injury prevention , clinical psychology , cognition , medicine , psychiatry , surgery , environmental health
This study examined the development of autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) in a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of 242 maltreated and nonmaltreated children (aged 36–86 months; 50.4% male; 39.7% Black, 25.9% White, 34.5% Latinx/other) and their mothers. Half of the maltreated families were randomized to receive an intervention to improve maternal reminiscing. The effects of maltreatment and the intervention on children’s AMS via two indices of maternal reminiscing, sensitive guidance, and elaboration, were evaluated. Bidirectional associations between AMS and child maladjustment were also examined. Intervention‐related improvement in maternal sensitive guidance 6‐month postintervention ( b * = .36) related to greater AMS among maltreated children 1 year later ( b * = .19). These findings underscore the role of maternal sensitive guidance in facilitating AMS.