PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article Traumatic Impact Predicts Long- Term Memory for Documented Child Sexual Abuse Kristen Weede Alexander,' Jodi A. Quas,2 Gail S. GotsImams Simone Gheiti," Robin S. Edelstein,3 Allison D. ReAllich,3 Ingrid M. Cordon,3 and David P.H. Jones(' ! California State University; Sacramento; 2Univenity of California, Irvine; 'University of California, Davis; 4Research Institute on. Judicial Systems, National Research Council, Bologna, Italy; sPolicy Research Associates, Inc., Delmar, Nev York; and 6University of Oxford, Park Hospital for Children, Oxford, England ABSTRACT—Prospective studies of adults' memories of documented child sexual abuse (CSA) reveal that the majority of individuals remember their victimization. However. the accuracy of these memories has rarely been investigated scientifically. The present study examined predictors of memory accuracy and errors 12 to 21 years after abuse ended for individuals with legal experiences resulting from documented CSA. Severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology was positively associated with memory accuracy. However, individuals nominating CSA as their most traumatic life event exhib- ited relatively accurate memory regardless of indicators of PTSD. Predictors of memory errors were also identified (e.g., less maternal support). These results indicate that, in addition to understanding the role of traditional cog- nitive factors, understanding an event's traumatic impact is important for predicting the accuracy of long-term memory for reported CSA. Although research has focused on forgetting of child sexual abuse (CSA), virtually no studies have examined the accuracy of long-term memory for such trauma among adults who remember being victimized. We conducted a longitudinal study involving victims of documented and prosecuted GSA to investigate, prospectively, the accuracy of long-term memory of sexual abuse in childhood. Address correspond