Disorganized trauma memory seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is unclear whether memory organization of nonautobiographical material (i.e., sequence memory) is also impaired in PTSD. A novel task designed to assess nonautobiographical memory for content and order information was administered to trauma survivors with (n = 26) and without PTSD (n = 55) as well as to nontraumatized healthy adults (n = 30). In addition, traumatized participants were asked to give a detailed narrative of the traumatic event and an unpleasant autobiographical event. Transcripts of both types of narratives were analyzed with regard to disorganization. Results indicated that trauma memories were more disorganized than memories of an unpleasant event in the PTSD group in comparison with the non-PTSD group. However, no differences were found for memory organization of nonautobiographical material among trauma survivors with and without PTSD and nontraumatized controls. With regard to memory accuracy of nonautobiographical material, group differences were more strongly associated with trauma exposure than with PTSD.

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Up to 22 % of all child maltreatment cases involve non-accidental burns or scalds. In the time period of 2000 until 2007, 20 children with non-accidental burns and scalds in conjunction with other mechanisms of injury were examined at children's hospitals in Hamburg and at the Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, by experts in forensic medicine. The fact that these children presented with additional injuries due to blunt and sharp force and sometimes had signs of neglect emphasize the urgent need for a multidisciplinary cooperation between pediatricians and forensic medical experts to ensure the early identification and prevention of child maltreatment. A new approach for Germany, enforcing mandatory child well-being examinations is discussed.