Maltreated Children's Memory of Stressful Removals from Their Biological Parents: Children's memory of a removal

Inobhutnahme und Bindung

Inobhutnahmen sind zeitlich begrenzte Kriseninterventionen zum Schutz von Kindern meist in der Folge von vorhergehender Misshandlung und/oder Vernachlässigung. Die Dauer von Inobhutnahmen ist bei Säuglingen und Kleinkindern am längsten. Die mit einer längeren Trennung einhergehenden psychophysiologischen Belastungen der Kinder sowie das Vorgehen bei Inobhutnahmen werden vor dem Hintergrund der Bindungstheorie und bindungstheoretischer Forschung diskutiert. Es wird für die Entwicklung einer bindungstheoretisch begründeten Konzeption zu Verfahrensstandards und zur Gestaltung der Inobhutnahme bei Säuglingen und Kleinkindern plädiert.

High accuracy but low consistency in children's long-term recall of a real-life stressful event

The accuracy and consistency of children's memories of their removals from their biological families by the Child Protective Services (CPS) was investigated. A researcher was present during the removals and documented what happened. A total of 37 maltreated children, aged 3 to 12 years, were interviewed 1 week and 3 months after the removals. The accuracy of the memory reports was high at both time points, but their consistency was fairly low; in all age groups (3-6, 7-10, and 11-12 years), a high percentage of new accurate information was reported during the second interview and a high percentage of the accurate information reported in the first interview was omitted in the second interview. Older children were significantly more consistent in their memory reports than younger children. The results show that low consistency in memory does not imply memory inaccuracy and has implications for the interpretation of successive interviews of children in forensic contexts.

Children's memories of removal: a test of attachment theory

We report a study of parents' attachment orientations and children's autobiographical memory for an experience that according to Bowlby's (1982) attachment theory should be particularly threatening-children's forced separation from their parents. It was hypothesized that individual differences in parents' attachment orientations would be associated with children's distress and memory for this highly traumatic event. Children (n = 28) were observed during forced removal from home or school by Child Protective Services due to allegations of child maltreatment. Children's memory for the removal was tested 1 week later, and biological parents (n = 28) completed an adult attachment measure. Parental attachment anxiety significantly predicted children's distress during less stressful phases of the removal, R(2) = .25, and parents' attachment-related avoidance predicted fewer correct memory reports from the children (i.e., fewer hits to open-ended questions, R(2) = .16, and fewer hits to direct questions, R(2) = .27). The findings indicate that attachment theory provides important guidance for understanding children's autobiographical memory for traumatic events.

Children's and adults' memory for emotional pictures: examining age-related patterns using the Developmental Affective Photo System

Two studies were conducted to examine theoretical questions about children's and adults' memory for emotional visual stimuli. In Study 1, 7- to 9-year-olds and adults (N=172) participated in the initial creation of the Developmental Affective Photo System (DAPS). Ratings of emotional valence, arousal, and complexity were obtained. In Study 2, DAPS pictures were presented to 20 8- to 12-year-olds and 30 adults, followed by a recognition memory test. Children and adults recognized aversive images better than neutral images. Moreover, children and adults recognized high and moderate arousal images more accurately than low arousal images. Adults' memory for neutral images exceeded that of children, but there were no developmental differences in memory for aversive pictures. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.