Reporting, Forgetting, or Reimagining: A Developmental Theory of Traumatic and Adverse Childhood Memories.
Saved in:
| Title: | Reporting, Forgetting, or Reimagining: A Developmental Theory of Traumatic and Adverse Childhood Memories. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Weems, Carl F. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review. Jun2025, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p491-506. 16p. |
| Subjects: | Episodic memory, Cognitive psychology, Psychological stress, Early memories, Post-traumatic stress |
| Abstract: | The reliability of child and youth reports of traumatic events and adverse experiences (TRACEs) is a critically important but highly contentious issue. This paper presents a developmental perspective for understanding reporting, forgetting, and reimagining such experiences. This perspective addresses the targeted question of how to conceptualize correspondence in reports across time (i.e., the reliability of reports) and applies a developmental lens (both theory and data) to these data while also integrating relevant neuroscience data. This review provides 1) a critical summary of recent meta-analyses and data on consistency in reports of TRACEs and 2) a critical summary of systematic reviews of autobiographical memory in TRACEs and integrates 3) emerging developmental and neuroscience research and theory to support this perspective. The perspective emphasizes that there may be an evolution of the memory of a traumatic event and evolution in the perception of an event as traumatic over time. The perspective thereby implies that awareness of an event as traumatic is not limited to a strict dichotomy—either something traumatic happened or it did not—but can also be understood as a continuum, ranging from a strong memory or perception of the event as traumatic to weaker recollections and evolving interpretations over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | The reliability of child and youth reports of traumatic events and adverse experiences (TRACEs) is a critically important but highly contentious issue. This paper presents a developmental perspective for understanding reporting, forgetting, and reimagining such experiences. This perspective addresses the targeted question of how to conceptualize correspondence in reports across time (i.e., the reliability of reports) and applies a developmental lens (both theory and data) to these data while also integrating relevant neuroscience data. This review provides 1) a critical summary of recent meta-analyses and data on consistency in reports of TRACEs and 2) a critical summary of systematic reviews of autobiographical memory in TRACEs and integrates 3) emerging developmental and neuroscience research and theory to support this perspective. The perspective emphasizes that there may be an evolution of the memory of a traumatic event and evolution in the perception of an event as traumatic over time. The perspective thereby implies that awareness of an event as traumatic is not limited to a strict dichotomy—either something traumatic happened or it did not—but can also be understood as a continuum, ranging from a strong memory or perception of the event as traumatic to weaker recollections and evolving interpretations over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 10964037 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10567-025-00528-4 |
