Childhood abuse recollections in a nonclinical population: Forgetting and secrecy

Objective: This study investigated the relationship of interrupted memories of childhood abuse with the secrecy of the abuse. Methodology: Fifteen hundred people were randomly selected from the members hip of the American Counseling Association and sent a questionnaire regardi ng childhood abuse history. Four hundred and twenty-three usable questionna ires were returned and analyzed. Results: Thirty-two percent of the sample reported childhood abuse. Fifty-t wo percent of those reporting abuse also noted periods of forgetting some o r all of the abuse. On the two survey items assessing secrecy, 76% of respo ndents reporting childhood abuse indicated there had been a time when no on e but themselves and their abuser knew about the abuse; 47% indicated that an abuser tried to get them to keep the abuse secret. Forty percent endorse d both secrecy items. Respondents who reported forgetting abuse also report ed one or both elements of secrecy more frequently than those who reported continuous memories of abuse. Conclusion: These findings are consistent with those of other studies that suggest that, among adults reporting childhood abuse, the experience of for getting some or all abuse is common. Secrecy of the abuse appears to be ass ociated with the experience of forgetting childhood abuse for many individu als. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.