PREDICTORS OF ACCURATE AND INACCURATE MEMORIES OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS EXPERIENCED IN CHILDHOOD

How likely is it that traumatic childhood events are misremembered or forgotten? Research on children's recollections of painful or frighten ing medical procedures may help answer this question by identifying pr edictors of accurate versus inaccurate memory. In the present study, 4 6 3- to 10-year-old children were interviewed after undergoing a stres sful medical procedure involving urethral catherization. Age differenc es in memory emerged, especially when comparing 3- to 4-year-olds with older children. Children's understanding of the event, parental commu nication and emotional support, and children's own emotional reactions also predicted accuracy. Memory did not reliably vary for children wh o endured the medical procedure once versus multiple times. Results ar e discussed in relation to possible precursors of accurate and false m emories, and forgetting, of traumatic events experienced in childhood. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.