Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Psychology

Advisor

Cathy Spatz Widom

Committee Members

William Gottdiener

Charles Stone

Andrea Danese

Quincy Miller

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology | Psychological Phenomena and Processes

Keywords

childhood maltreatment, memory, retrospective self-report, intentional nondisclosure

Abstract

Individuals with documented histories of childhood maltreatment who do not retrospectively self-report these childhood experiences demonstrate better emotional and psychological outcomes in adulthood. Understanding why these individuals do not retrospectively self-report is important for the development of effective interventions focused on mitigating the long-term consequences of maltreatment. The current study compared maltreated individuals who did not retrospectively self-report (O-R group) to those who did retrospectively self-report (O+R group) to examine theoretical explanations related to intentional nondisclosure (i.e., social desirability and discomfort during the interview) and memory processes (i.e. infantile amnesia, use of mental health services, avoidant coping strategies, and deliberate suppression). Women in the O-R group experienced maltreatment at a significantly younger age than women in the O+R group, providing preliminary support for the theory of infantile amnesia. Women in the O-R group also endorsed using avoidant coping less frequently than women in the O+R group. Together, these findings suggest that maltreated women fail to retrospectively self-report due to a genuine unawareness of past maltreatment experiences. For individuals in the Black, Hispanic, and Other group, the O-R group demonstrated significantly greater social desirability compared to the O+R group, providing support for the theory of intentional nondisclosure. In the overall sample, the O+R group reported greater discomfort during the interview and more mental health service use compared to the O-R group, consistent with the larger literature on the negative psychological and emotional outcomes associated with subjective reports of childhood maltreatment. Findings emphasize the critical role of memory in retrospective self-reports and provide initial support for the role of infantile amnesia among maltreated women. In addition, these findings highlight the persistent stigma associated with childhood maltreatment and suggest that intentional nondisclosure due to social desirability plays an important role in retrospective reporting, particularly among individuals from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds. Implications in terms of theory, social and legal policies, and intervention strategies are discussed.

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