Beliefs about inaccessible memories of childhood sexual abuse

A Survey of Laypeople and Professionals

Bibliographic Data

ID7163309
AuthorsTrine Sonne (0000-0003-1682-199X, Aarhus University, corresponding author), Peter Faber (0000-0001-7100-9086, Aarhus University), Niels Peter Nielsen (0000-0001-8320-2991, Aarhus University), Osman S Kingo (0000-0003-1785-3600, Aarhus University), Dorthe Berntsen (0000-0001-5941-314X, Aarhus University)
Year2025
Volume33
Issue6
Pages729-743
Publication date2025-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMemory (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0965-8211 • E-ISSN: 1464-0686
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09658211.2025.2516084
PMID40498477
OpenAlexW4411208596
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited39

Evidence indicates that perceived event plausibility influences the likelihood of false memory implantation. Accordingly, it is central to map out the beliefs that people hold regarding the plausibility of different events. In three studies, we examined beliefs concerning the plausibility of being unable to remember childhood sexual abuse by use of two vignettes. This was investigated in Danish (Study 1; N = 94) and American laypeople (Study 2; N = 303) and Danish professionals across six different groups of potential relevance to the legal system (Study 3; N = 335). Most participants in Studies 1 and 2 answered either “Plausible” or “Very plausible” to both vignettes, replicating previous findings. In Study 3, the majority of professionals endorsed the belief that it is plausible to have inaccessible memories of childhood sexual abuse, but it varied across professional groups how strong the belief was, with highest scores among police and social workers. Our findings suggest that both laypeople and professionals typically hold the belief that an inability to remember the traumatic event is a likely and common reaction to childhood sexual abuse. The findings are important for informing the recurrent debate concerning repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse

Childhood memory · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Episodic memory · False Memory · Medical emergency · Poison control · Psychiatry · Recall · Sexual abuse · Child Abuse and Trauma · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Memory Processes and Influences · Psychology · Social Psychology

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