Telling a trusted adult: Factors associated with the likelihood of disclosing child sexual abuse prior to and during a forensic interview

Abstract

Background: Many child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors delay or withhold disclosure of their abuse, even when presenting for formal investigation interviews. Objective: This study examined factors that relate to the CSA disclosure process. Participants and Settings: Participants were CSA victims (N = 1,732) presenting to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) for a forensic interview. Method: We tested a structural model to predict disclosure before and during a forensic interview using secondary data analysis. Results: Youth were less likely to disclose before a forensic interview if they witnessed domestic violence (β =-.233, p < .05). Caregivers were less likely to believe the abuse allegation if the alleged perpetrator resided in the home β =-.386, p < .05) and more likely to believe if the youth made a prior disclosure (β = .286, p < .05). Youth were more likely to disclose during the forensic interview if they were older (β=.388, p < .05), if the alleged perpetrator resided in their home (β=.209, p

White Paper on Forensic Child Interviewing: Research-based recommendations by the European Association of Psychology and Law

“…It is known that victims of child sexual as well as physical abuse may disclose early after the abusive events, with a delay over the course of months or even many years -or fail to make formal disclosures (Alaggia et al, 2019;Manay & Collin-Vézina, 2021;McGuire & London, 2020;Miller & London, 2020;Lahtinen et al, 2018). Many children do disclose when interviewed in a forensic setting, particularly if they have disclosed earlier to for instance family members or peers (Azzopardi et al, 2019;Grandgenett et al, 2021). While delayed disclosure is common among victims of CSA, the exact rates of denial and recantation are subject to debate (Malloy et al, 2007;McGuire & London, 2020; but see also Eisen et al, 2021;Lyon et al, 2020).…”

Institutional, Ideological, and Interactional Constraints: The Case of Sexual Abuse in White Evangelical Settings1

“…In some respects, participants' explanations of how they understood the abuse they experienced as children reflect broader narratives of childhood sexual violence in the United States (Grandgenett et al. 2021; Lemaigre et al. 2017).…”

“…In some respects, participants' explanations of how they understood the abuse they experienced as children reflect broader narratives of childhood sexual violence in the United States (Grandgenett et al 2021;Lemaigre et al 2017). For instance, until she was in college, Debbie was too afraid to reveal that she was sexually abused by her uncle (who was also pastor of her church) when she was 6 or 7 years.…”