CHILD ABUSE IN IGBOLAND OF NIGERIA: EXPLANATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS AND ENDING THE SILENCE

Abstract

Data from a clinical sample (N = 88) reporting childhood sexual abuse was compared by types of memory, abuse characteristics, and psychological symptoms. Three types of memory were identified from a questionnaire ("Always" n = 27 [31%], "Recovered" n = 41 [46%], and "Both" n = 20 [23%]). When compared with narrative reports from a subset (n = 30) of the sample, the lines between "Always," "Recovered", and "Both" types of memory were ambiguous. Consistency across reports, however, was 83%. Memories classified as either "Recovered" or "Both" were associated with earlier age-at-onset and more severe psychological symptoms compared to those who "Always" remembered CSA. No significant differences were found between the "Both" and "Recovered" groups. © 2008 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.