Recall of childhood trauma shifts with present relationships

New research from Michigan State University finds that how young adults recall adverse childhood experiences fluctuates based on the current quality of their relationships - particularly with their parents.

In a study tracking nearly 1,000 emerging adults over a two-month period, researchers asked participants three times about memories of their experiences growing up before turning 18. Each time, participants reported on their adverse childhood experiences, as well as their current relationships with parents, friends and romantic partners.

The research team, led by MSU Associate Professor William Chopik, found that while reports of childhood adversity remained stable, they did see meaningful differences in participants' answers over the eight weeks of the study. The most consistent predictor of these fluctuations was relationship quality. When people reported more support and less strain from their parents than usual, they tended to report fewer adverse childhood experiences, particularly emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.

The findings suggest that reporting on adverse childhood experiences contains both stable and dynamic information.

"People are generally consistent in how they recall their past, but the small shifts in reporting are meaningful," said Chopik, co-author of the study and faculty at MSU's Department of Psychology. "It doesn't mean people are unreliable, it means that memory is doing what it does - integrating past experiences with present meaning."

The researchers hope that recognizing the dual nature of these memories could improve how we interpret adverse childhood experiences in research and in clinical settings.

"From research forms to clinical intakes, people often report on their adverse childhood experiences," said Annika Jaros, co-author and research associate. "Caring about the small differences in reporting can encourage more thoughtful use of these measures when predicting mental health, well-being and life outcomes."

One idea for more accuracy could be to assess adverse childhood experiences more than once rather than relying on a single snapshot to better evaluate how people's memories might be shaped by their current mental states.

"Those small changes in reporting may tell us something important about how people are currently coping, how they're making sense of their life story and how relationships in adulthood continue to shape the way the past is understood," said Chopik.