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Research Article: Flashbulb Memories in the Communication of the Diagnosis of Visual Impairment: The Effect of Context and Content

Date Published: 2023-05-14

Abstract:
The diagnosis of a child’s visual impairment is remembered vividly and intensely by their parents. However, the way in which the diagnosis is communicated may affect the development and persistence of this memory. The aim of this study is to analyze the circumstances in which the first news of the diagnosis of visual impairment in children is given and whether the memory of this event persists over time leading to a flashbulb memory. A longitudinal study was carried out with the participation of 38 mothers. Data were collected on sociodemographics, clinical variables, circumstances surrounding the communication of the diagnosis, and the degree of agreement of the information in the two phases of the research. The diagnosis was, on the whole, given to both parents at the same time, in medical language and with little tact, generally in the office of an ophthalmologist. The mothers would have preferred to have received the news in a different way, and the existence of a flashbulb memory is confirmed, more dependent on the context in which the diagnosis was given and its content than on sociodemographic and clinical factors. The way in which the first news of such a diagnosis is given plays a significant role in how it is remembered. Therefore, an improvement in medical practice regarding the communication of such diagnoses is recommended.

Introduction:
Brown and Kulik [1] coined the term flashbulb memory (FBM) to refer to a particularly vivid memory generated in response to a unique, highly emotional experience that becomes etched in the memory like a “flashbulb” or “snapshot” of a moment when everything stopped as if it were “frozen”. Such memories prove impossible to forget and will, therefore, be remembered for life. The basic characteristic of these memories is their emphasis on peripheral aspects such as where the person was when they heard the news, what…

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