Forgetting child abuse: Feldman-Summers and Pope's (1994) study replicatedamong Dutch psychologists

In a replication of Feldman-Summers and Pope's (1994) national survey of Am erican Psychologists on 'forgetting' childhood abuse, a Dutch sample of 500 members of the Netherlands Institute of Psychologists (NIP), were asked if they had been abused as children, and, if so, whether they had ever forgot ten some or all of the abuse for some significant period of time. As compar ed to the 23.9% in the original study, 13.3% reported childhood abuse. Of t hat subgroup, 39% (as compared to 40% in the original study) reported a per iod of forgetting some or all of the abuse for a period of time. Both sexua l and non-sexual physical abuse were subject to forgetting which in 70% of cases was reversed while being in therapy. Almost 70% of those who reported forgetting also reported corroboration of the abuse. The forgetting was no t related to gender or age, but was associated with the reported early abus e onset. These results were remarkably similar to the results of Feldman-Su mmers and Pope's original study. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.