Accuracy and coherence in sexually abused children: The role of age and PTSD

In the legal field, narrative accuracy and coherence represent two important elements of the child's credibility as a witness. This study aims to analyze narrative accuracy and coherence in 92 depositions of sexually abused children, in particular the effect of age and the presence of post-traumatic symptoms. Each deposition was analyzed through the Narrative Categories Used to Code the Memory Reports Narrative (Bauer et al., 2014) and Coherence Coding Scheme (Reese et al., 2011). Our results confirm the significant role of age and PTSD on the content and narrative organization of childhood traumatic memories. Specifically, older and without PTSD children are better able to provide narrative reports richer in salient contextual details and a more complete description of the facts, in temporal and causal terms, with evaluations of meaning on the traumatic experience.