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Autobiographical memory specificity and emotional abuse
Author(s) -
Raes Filip,
Hermans Dirk,
Williams J. Mark G.,
Eelen Paul
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
british journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0144-6657
DOI - 10.1348/014466504x20080
Subject(s) - psychology , autobiographical memory , checklist , emotional memory , clinical psychology , emotional trauma , psychological abuse , developmental psychology , child abuse , poison control , injury prevention , cognition , psychiatry , cognitive psychology , medicine , medical emergency , neuroscience , amygdala
Objective. Examined the relationship between trauma and memory specificity and the importance in this of level of support received. Method. Fifty‐two female undergraduates completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986), assessing memory specificity and the Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC; Nijenhuis, Van der Hart, & Vanderlinden, 1999), assessing qualitative aspects of trauma. Results. In low‐specific students, those who reported emotional abuse were less specific in their memory. The scores of students who had not received any support for the abuse showed a trend towards retrieval of less specific memories, as compared with those who had received support. Conclusion. Results provide evidence for an association between trauma (emotional abuse) and reduced memory specificity, and suggest that receiving support following the abuse might protect individuals from developing over‐general memory.