[Childhood amnesia and emotional trauma. Easiest to prompt the smallest children to provide erroneous details concerning abuse]. / Barndomsamnesi och emotionella trauman. Lättast att få de minsta barnen att lämna felaktiga uppgifter om övergrepp.

A basic understanding of children's memories for emotional trauma is of importance for physicians and other health care professionals. The aim of this paper is to describe recent research and discuss important dilemmas within this field. The ability of infants and toddlers to verbally describe autobiographical memories is for several reasons limited. Very early experiences of e.g. intense pain can leave traces in the nervous system but of a kind which is not specific enough to allow retrospective conclusions about the nature of these experiences. Research during the past decades has relatively consistently demonstrated that pre-school children are more vulnerable to suggestion including abuse-related suggestions than are older children and adults. However, many children who have been subject to sexual abuse seem to maintain a lifelong silence about their experiences. The use of autobiographical testimony from young children is more complex and risky than many professionals believed about a decade ago. Establishing the knowledge derived from recent years' research in this area as a basis for clinical practice is one of the most important tasks for the future.

The catechism effect: child testimonies during a 17th-century witch panic as related to educational achievement.

Testimonies from 488 children given to the priests of the parish of Rättvik during a preliminary investigation of a Swedish witch panic in 1670-71 are examined in relation to records from parish catechetical meetings held in 1671. The result implies that children who knew and understood at least parts of Luther's catechism were less liable to have falsely alleged that they had been kidnapped by female satanists during the witch panic of the previous year. It is suggested that these effects were caused by differences in cognitive, social, and emotional resources among these children as compared to those who were unable to learn and understand any parts of Luther's catechism.

False allegations of satanic abuse: case studies from the witch panic in Rättvik 1670-71.

The creation of false memories, psychiatric symptoms and false allegations of satanic child abuse during an outbreak of witch hysteria in Sweden in the seventeenth century are described and related to contemporary issues in child testimonies. Case studies of 28 children and 14 adults are presented. The mechanisms underlying the spread of these allegations, as well as the reactions and influence of the adult world on the children's testimonies, are discussed.

Child testimonies during an outbreak of witch hysteria: Sweden 1670-1671.

Eight hundred and nine testimonies given by children between the ages of 1 and 16 to the priests of the parish of Rättvik, and to the Royal commission of inquiry, during an outbreak of witch hysteria in 1670-71 are examined. The result implies that the capacity to separate reality from fantasy as well as the tendency to give stereotyped testimonies are related to age, social influence from other children and sex. The results also suggest that the testimonies were influenced by the person investigating the child.