Spotlight on practiceThe effects of disclosure and intervention on sexually abused children☆
Abstract
There has been concern that disclosure and intervention might negatively impact child victims of sexual abuse. In this retrospective study, 82 children and their families were interviewed about their experiences with disclosure and intervention an average of 3.5 years later. The children and parents completed a measure of distress developed for the study which discriminated between abused and non-abused children. The children reported primarily favorable experiences and provided clinically helpful descriptions of the positive and negative aspects of intervention. More contacts with intervention professionals was associated with increased distress, placement, offender removal and testifying were not. Based on the children's comments, suggestions for improving the intervention process are made.
Résumé
Le déviolement des abus sexuels et les interventions qui s'en suivent occasionnent parfois des conséquences négatives pour les enfants victimes. Dans une étude rétrospective, 82 enfants et leurs familles ont été interviewés concernant leurs expériences en rapport avec le dévoilement et les interventions, ceci dans les quelque 3.5 années suivant les événements abusifs. Les parents et les enfants ont répondu á un questionnaire conçu pour mesurer la détresse et capable de discerner les différences entre les expériences des enfants abusés et les non abusés. Les enfants ont rapporté principalement des expériences favorables et ont fourni des descriptions utiles au point de vue clinique concernant leur vécu positif et négatif. Beaucoup de contacts avec des professionnels étaient liés à un niveau élevé de détresse tandis que de placer les enfants, d'éloigner l'agresseur et de témoigner devant le tribunal ne semblaient pas être des expériences menant à la détresse. Se basant sur les commentaires des enfants, l'article propose des mesures pour améliorer les interventions.
Resumen
Ha habido preocupación respecto a si la revelación y la intervencion podían tener un impacto negativo en los niños/as víctimas de abuso sexual. En este estudio retrospectivo, se entrevistó a 82 niños/as y sus familias en relación a sus experiencias con la revelación y la intervención, una media de 3.5 años más tarde. Los niños/as y sus padres/madres completaron una medida de malestar psicológico desarrollada para este estudio, que discriminó entre niños/as abusados/as y no-abusados/as. Los niños/as manifestaron haber tenido experiencias principalmente favorables, y proporcionaron descripciones útiles acerca de los aspectos positivos y negativos de la intervención. Se encontró una asociación entre un mayor contacto con profesionales de la intervención y un nivel más elevado de malestar psicológico. Sin embargo, la colocación en un hogar sustituto, el alejamiento forzado del abusador, y el hecho de testificar, no estaban asociados con un mayor nivel de malestar psicológico. En base a los comentarios de los niños/as, se formulan sugerencias para mejorar el proceso de intervención.
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Cited by (149)
Mimicry Deception Theory applied to sexual abuse of children
2023, Child Abuse and NeglectSexual abuse of children remains a widespread problem with well-documented, adverse consequences. Often, abuse ending is contingent on a disclosure made by the victim, but victims delay disclosure if they tell someone at all. The factors associated with (non)disclosure are complex and interrelated. In this paper, we propose a new theoretical framework (Mimicry Deception Theory; MDT) to explore various aspects of the grooming process, using a qualitative content analysis of US court appeal cases (N = 25). Specifically, we focus on how MDT components contribute to the likelihood of a CSA disclosure. MDT is made up of five components: Victim Selection, Community Integration, Complexity of Deception, Resource Extraction, and Detectability. These five components allow us to look at several characteristics of abuse in tandem and examine how they interact to impact various outcomes, such as (non)disclosure. We provide a detailed codebook for this framework, that can be used to systematically extract relevant information from large amounts of data. Through the application of this framework, we were able to identify several factors that may play a role in delayed or non-disclosure. Further, we found repeat offenders were likely to use the exact same methods of access, grooming, and remaining undetected across victims. Implications for prevention, as well as clinical interventions with perpetrators as well as victims are discussed.
Recipients of children's and adolescents’ disclosures of childhood sexual abuse: A systematic review
2021, Child Abuse and NeglectDisclosure of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a complex, multifaceted process with many barriers that are largely shaped by individual, familial, and systemic characteristics. Children and youth tend to withhold or delay disclosure for many years, such that most CSA goes unreported. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence regarding the pathways and recipients of CSA disclosures and to identify potential developmental and gender differences in the recipients of disclosures. Thirty-seven studies conducted between 1990 and 2017 were selected for review. Results indicated that children and youth follow a gradual pattern of disclosure, whereby they first disclose to peers before disclosing to a parent or trusted adult, who can then help the child report to a person of authority. Key developmental patterns in CSA disclosure were identified, whereby older children and adolescents are significantly more likely to turn to peers, keeping the abuse largely hidden from adults. Gender differences were also found, whereby girls are more likely to seek emotional support by disclosing to peers, whereas boys are significantly less likely to disclose the abuse all together; when boys do disclose, they tend to do so for practical reasons, such as protection or accessing services. This review contributes to our understanding of the various pathways of CSA disclosure and highlights the importance of further understanding youth-directed disclosures and how the reactions of informal recipients of disclosures may impact further disclosures to authorities and professionals. Research and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Family face to extra-familial violence: Emotions and victimization through the narrative of parents and children in UMJ
2020, Pratiques PsychologiquesL’impact traumatique lié à la révélation d’une agression, au moment de l’annonce de l’abus, mais aussi dans la vie quotidienne de la famille, bouleverse le système familial dans son ensemble. Cette étude veut comparer la perception du parent et de son enfant lorsque l’enfant a été victime d’une agression sexuelle, psychologique et/ou physique extrafamiliale notamment autour des émotions, de la culpabilité et du vécu de victimisation. La démarche de recherche est exploratoire à travers l’analyse qualitative du contenu d’entretiens réalisés avec des parents et des enfants suivis en unité médico-judiciaire (UMJ) et unité d’accueil des jeunes victimes (UAJV). Nos résultats montrent la présence significative d’un fort état émotionnel chez les parents qui se traduit en colère, ainsi qu’une difficulté à nommer les émotions chez leurs enfants. Les enfants éprouvent des difficultés à exprimer leurs émotions, en revanche, leur quotidien semble moins difficile que pour les parents. Malgré les limites dues au faible échantillon et aux conditions de recueil des données, des préconisations pour la prise en charge de la famille sont proposées.
The traumatic impact linked to the revelation of an assault, at the time of the announcement of the abuse, but also in the daily life of the family, disrupts the family system. This study aims to compare the perception of the parent and his child when the child has been the victim of a sexual, psychological and/or physical extra-family assault, particularly around emotions, guilt and the victimization experience. The exploratory research approach is through the qualitative analysis of the content of interviews conducted with parents and children received by the Medico-Judiciary Unit (UMJ) and the Youth Victims Reception Unit. (UAJV). Our results show the presence of a strong emotional state in parents that results in anger, as well as a difficulty in naming emotions in their children. Children have difficulty to express their emotions, but everyday life seems less difficult than parents. Despite the limitations due to the small sample and the conditions for data collection, recommendations for clinical treatment of families are proposed.
Understanding multitudinous and collaborative investigative responses to child sexual abuse
2020, Child Sexual Abuse: Forensic Issues in Evidence, Impact, and ManagementThe investigation and response to child sexual abuse are multifaceted and frequently involves multiple agencies. These agencies typically have a specific focus that contributes to the overall response to the abuse and often perform these functions independently. Central to this investigative response is the criminal investigation and the child protection investigation and assessment processes. This chapter discusses these two investigative approaches, the purposes and scope of their roles as well as some general principles that are specific to each. Whilst discussing these individualised aspects, the shared purposes will be identified. It is the purpose of this chapter to highlight the importance of agencies conducting investigations conjointly, as there are several positive outcomes for the individual agencies in doing so, and, more importantly, for the child. In closing, recommendations will be made to ensure these joint responses are conducted effectively and efficiently, especially considering the separate priorities of the agencies involved.
Child sexual abuse victims as witnesses: The influence of testifying on their recovery
2018, Child Abuse and NeglectVictims of child sexual abuse (CSA) are likely to show a wide range of adaptation difficulties. In addition, some children and their families are involved in legal proceedings following the child’s disclosure. However, little is known about the effects of legal involvement on CSA victim’s mental health and recovery. In this longitudinal study, the effects of testifying were examined in a sample of 344 children at initial assessment (67% of girls) receiving services in a Child Advocacy Centre, of which 130 children testified. The participants’ age ranged from 6 to 14 years old (M = 9.42 SD = 2.14). Children and their parents completed a series of measures to evaluate the child’s mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD) at four points in time over a 2-year period. Multilevel analysis indicates that all the children showed significant improvement over time but the group who testified more than once shows higher levels of emotional distress 2 years after the initial assessment. This study highlights the importance of documenting the experience of CSA victims in the justice system in order to establish the adequate conditions to support child witnesses.
The effects of gender, personal trauma history and memory continuity on the believability of child sexual abuse disclosure among psychologists
2018, Child Abuse and NeglectGender, a personal history of trauma and attitudes towards continuous vs recovered memories of abuse significantly impact the believability of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) disclosures in community samples. Yet, whether these variables influence the believability of CSA disclosure and subsequent clinical decisions made by practicing psychologists is underexplored. A vignette of trauma disclosure from a hypothetical adult client was presented via an online survey to 292 registered psychologists. Participants rated the believability of the disclosure, answered an open-ended item regarding treatment planning, and completed the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey to measure personal trauma history. Results indicated that female psychologists believed disclosures significantly more than male psychologists and that disclosures comprised of continuous memories were believed more than recently recovered memories. A significant interaction between gender and personal trauma history was also revealed. Female psychologists believed disclosures regardless of their personal trauma history, while male psychologists with a personal history of trauma believed disclosures significantly more than male psychologists without personal trauma history. Reported believability of the disclosure, while unrelated to treatment planning, was associated with a reported intention to validate the client’s experience. The results support that, similar to community samples, gender and a personal trauma history impact psychologist believability of CSA disclosure. The research further supports that psychologist level of belief then translates into clinical implications.
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This study was funded by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, Grant #90-CA-1180-01, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.