Eliciting Accounts of Alleged Child Sexual Abuse: How Do Children Report Touch?

Abstract

Investigative interviewers frequently question alleged victims of child sexual abuse about any touching or bodily contact that might have occurred. In the present study of forensic interviews with 192 alleged sexual abuse victims, between 4 and 13 years of age, we examined the frequency with which alleged victims reported bodily contact as "touch" and the types of prompts associated with "touch" reports. Even young alleged victims of sexual abuse reported bodily contact as "touch," and they used the word "touch" more frequently in response to recall than recognition prompts. Regardless of age, children typically referred to "touch" before interviewers used this term, suggesting that even young children are able to report "touch" without being cued by interviewers.

Description des lieux chez des enfants victimes d’agression1

“…Toutefois, le contexte de l'étude, où les entrevues utilisées sont des entrevues conduites dans le cadre d'enquêtes policières et non des entrevues réalisées en laboratoire, rend difficile l'administration de tests standardisés aux enfants présumés victimes. Cependant, plusieurs études dans le domaine utilisent l'âge comme seule mesure du développement cognitif (Cyr et Lamb, 2009 ;Hershkowitz, 2001 ;Hershkowitz, Horowitz et Lamb, 2005 ;Hershkowitz et al, 2012 ;Lamb et al, 2003 ;Orbach et Lamb, 2007 ;Snow et al, 2009 ;Teoh et al, 2014), donc cette limite revient régulièrement dans la littérature scientifique. Ainsi, les résultats doivent être interprétés avec prudence.…”

Children's underextended understanding of touch.

“…Children are often questioned by professionals in investigations of child sexual abuse to obtain information about experienced bodily contact. To describe different forms of physical contact, interviewers and children commonly use the word touch (Teoh et al, 2014). In addition, interviewers often use touch to introduce the abuse topic when asking screening questions.…”

Técnicas de entrevista em casos de abuso sexual infantojuvenil: uma revisão sistemática.

“…Outras duas pesquisas recuperadas foram exclusivas na amostra quanto ao seu objetivo. Uma delas tratou da avaliação do desenvolvimento da criança, prévia à entrevista, para adequação das questões à capacidade de compreensão do entrevistado; e outra investigou especificamente o uso do termo "toque" pelas crianças como sinônimo de contatos corporais, vez que esse termo é recorrentemente utilizado por entrevistadores em suas interações com as crianças (Powell, Wilson, & Hasty, 2002;Teoh, Pipe, Johnson, & Lamb, 2014).…”