The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children
Being a victim of abuse in childhood can lead to the development of trauma-related psychopathology, which could affect the testimony of the child victim. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a factor that can increase both the levels of suggestibility and the production of memory errors, such as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/2/37 |
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| author | Monia Vagni Tiziana Maiorano Valeria Giostra |
| author_facet | Monia Vagni Tiziana Maiorano Valeria Giostra |
| author_sort | Monia Vagni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Being a victim of abuse in childhood can lead to the development of trauma-related psychopathology, which could affect the testimony of the child victim. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a factor that can increase both the levels of suggestibility and the production of memory errors, such as confabulations, which can be identified in distortions and fabrications. No studies have analyzed the relationship between suggestibility, fabrications, distortions, and PTSD on samples of children and adolescents suspected of being sexually abused. This study aims to verify in a sample of 221 sexually abused children and adolescents the effect of PTSD, measured by Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, in increasing the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility and the production of fabrications and distortions in immediate and delayed memory tasks, obtained by Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 2, controlling age and non-verbal intelligence. Our results show that PTSD increases the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility, but it has no effect on memory recall in immediate recall tasks. Moreover, PTSD leads to a greater number of distorted and fabricated information inserted in delayed memory. Forensic implications of PTSD consequences on memory tasks and suggestibility levels of sexually abused children are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:47:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bec3501673634e67a44e90cce308ce0d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:47:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-bec3501673634e67a44e90cce308ce0d2023-12-03T14:31:52ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602021-01-011023710.3390/socsci10020037The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused ChildrenMonia Vagni0Tiziana Maiorano1Valeria Giostra2Department of Humanities, University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, ItalyDepartment of Humanities, University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, ItalyDepartment of Humanities, University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, ItalyBeing a victim of abuse in childhood can lead to the development of trauma-related psychopathology, which could affect the testimony of the child victim. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a factor that can increase both the levels of suggestibility and the production of memory errors, such as confabulations, which can be identified in distortions and fabrications. No studies have analyzed the relationship between suggestibility, fabrications, distortions, and PTSD on samples of children and adolescents suspected of being sexually abused. This study aims to verify in a sample of 221 sexually abused children and adolescents the effect of PTSD, measured by Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, in increasing the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility and the production of fabrications and distortions in immediate and delayed memory tasks, obtained by Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 2, controlling age and non-verbal intelligence. Our results show that PTSD increases the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility, but it has no effect on memory recall in immediate recall tasks. Moreover, PTSD leads to a greater number of distorted and fabricated information inserted in delayed memory. Forensic implications of PTSD consequences on memory tasks and suggestibility levels of sexually abused children are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/2/37suggestibilitychild abusetestifytraumaPTSDdistortion |
| spellingShingle | Monia Vagni Tiziana Maiorano Valeria Giostra The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children Social Sciences suggestibility child abuse testify trauma PTSD distortion |
| title | The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children |
| title_full | The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children |
| title_fullStr | The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children |
| title_short | The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children |
| title_sort | relationship between suggestibility fabrication distortion and trauma in suspected sexually abused children |
| topic | suggestibility child abuse testify trauma PTSD distortion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/2/37 |
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