Multilingualism and Exposure to Traumatic Memories

Abstract

This study examined how and to what extent secondary language effected level of exposure to, and experience of, an American or Canadian multilingual individual’s traumatic memory. Thirteen American and Canadian multilingual individuals with trauma histories participated in this online study that consisted of a screening questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q), and the short form version of the Memory Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ-SF), with this final measure being repeated twice. Findings from paired t-tests indicated that participants in this study did not report differences in how they experienced their trauma memory when it was recounted using their primary or secondary language. Participants with probable moderate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) demonstrated an increase in the phenomenological dimensions of Visual Perspective and Sharing when they recounted their trauma memory using their secondary language, while participants with probable severe PTSD demonstrated decreases in the phenomenological dimensions of Visual Perspective and Accessibility when they recounted the trauma memory using their secondary language. Participants with probable high symptoms of avoidance did not experience differences in how their trauma memory was experienced when it was recounted in their primary or secondary language. Findings from this study suggest that how a traumatic memory is experienced by a multilingual individual with trauma history may depend on the severity of their PTSD. It is recommended that further research be conducted on this topic due to the limitations of this study.