Does trauma memory play a role in the experience of reporting sexual assault during police interviews? An exploratory study

A recent study indicated that 94.4% of reported sexual assault cases in the UK do not result in successful legal prosecution, also known as the rate of attrition (Kelly, Lovett, & Regan, 2005 ). Scant research has examined the role of trauma-related psychological processes in attrition. Victims...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory (Hove) 2009-11, Vol.17 (8), p.783-788
Main Authors: Hardy, Amy, Young, Kerry, Holmes, Emily A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attrition
Biological and medical sciences
Crime Victims - legislation & jurisprudence
Crime Victims - psychology
Dissociation
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Learning. Memory
Male
Medical sciences
Memory
Memory - physiology
Police
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Repression, Psychology
Sex Offenses - legislation & jurisprudence
Sex Offenses - psychology
Sexual assault
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Trauma
United Kingdom
Victimology
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Summary:A recent study indicated that 94.4% of reported sexual assault cases in the UK do not result in successful legal prosecution, also known as the rate of attrition (Kelly, Lovett, & Regan, 2005 ). Scant research has examined the role of trauma-related psychological processes in attrition. Victims of sexual assault (N =22) completed questions about peri-traumatic dissociation, trauma memory fragmentation, account incoherence during police interview, and likelihood of proceeding with legal cases. Higher levels of dissociation during sexual assault were associated with participants reporting more fragmented trauma memories. Memory fragmentation was associated with participants indicating that they provided more incoherent accounts of trauma during police interview. Importantly, people who viewed themselves as providing more incoherent accounts predicted that they would be less likely to proceed with their legal cases. The findings suggest trauma impacts on memory, and these trauma-related disruptions to memory may paradoxically contribute to attrition.
ISSN:0965-8211
1464-0686
1464-0686
DOI:10.1080/09658210903081835