Family Functioning Moderating the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Memory Specificity

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to investigate if adults sexually abused as children who were raised in a functional family are more able to generate specific autobiographical memories and suffer fewer depressive symptoms than sexually abused adults who were raised in a dysfunctional family. We found that abused males retrieved fewer specific memories than nonabused males, abused females, and nonabused females. The three latter groups did not differ from each other. Further, childhood sexual abuse did not predict depression among males and females. After accounting for family functioning, there were no group differences regarding memory specificity. Functional families appear to have beneficial effects on the adjustment of male victims of childhood sexual abuse.

KEYWORDS:

• autobiographical memory
• family functioning
• childhood sexual abuse
• depression
• gender

This research was partially supported by Fulbright grant F309001 and CAPES (Brazilian federal agency for postgraduate education) Foundation grant 1941/04–6 to Lina Schlachter. Portions of this article were presented in a poster at the American Psychological Association 116th Annual Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, August 16, 2008.