ERIC Number: EJ1325292
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0888-4080
EISSN: N/A
Are Childhood Maltreatment Narratives Incoherent? A Different Story
Zhu, Na; Hakim-Larson, Julie
Applied Cognitive Psychology, v36 n1 p228-234 Jan-Feb 2022
There is ongoing debate on whether adults' narratives of trauma memories are similarly or less coherent than those of non-trauma memories. For child maltreatment, relevant studies have focused on child/adolescent narratives rather than adult narratives of sexual abuse and found that these narratives were less coherent than non-abuse narratives. This study examined and compared the coherence level of maltreatment versus positive event narratives in 204 adults (M[subscript age] = 25.52, SD = 8.50, 77.9% identified as female, and 66.7% identified as Caucasian). Results showed that adults' narratives of their child maltreatment were similarly or more coherent than that of non-trauma, positive events (Cohen's d = 0.16-0.50). The length of narratives was related to coherence level. This study added to the literature by contrasting the coherence level of child maltreatment versus non-trauma narratives in adults, an area of limited study. Results suggested a resilient sample who can narrate their maltreatment events coherently.
Descriptors: Child Abuse, Trauma, Sexual Abuse, Early Experience, Memory, Adults, Personal Narratives, Accuracy
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A