MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE - A SURVEY OF YOUNG-ADULTS

Objective: To explore the prevalence of, characteristics of, and facto rs associated with forgetting of childhood sexual abuse memories in a large non-clinical sample (N = 1712). Method: Using an anonymous surve y, we asked respondents about (a) the nature and severity of their chi ldhood abuse; (b) the continuity of their abuse memories; and (c) thei r experiences with others suggesting to them that they might have been abused. Results: A substantial minority of victims in our sample repo rted having temporarily forgotten their childhood sexual abuse. Forget ting was largely unassociated with victim or abuse characteristics. Co mpared to individuals who always remembered their abuse, however, indi viduals who temporarily forgot were more likely to report that someone had suggested to them that they might have experienced abuse. Those w ho received such suggestions were particularly likely to suspect that they may have experienced childhood sexual abuse that they do not yet remember. Conclusion: Forgetting may be less common than implied by ea rlier estimates from clinical samples, yet it is not uncommon. Also, a sizable minority of the population is wondering whether they have exp erienced unremembered abuse, and these suspicions are linked to having encountered suggestions from others. We discuss the implications of t hese findings for understanding the phenomenon sometimes labeled repre ssion. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.