Factors facilitating and delaying disclosure and reporting of child sexual abuse: insights from forensic interviews.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Factors facilitating and delaying disclosure and reporting of child sexual abuse: insights from forensic interviews.
Authors: Oksal, Hatice (AUTHOR), Tunagür, Mustafa Tolga (AUTHOR), Cincioğlu, Emine (AUTHOR), Büber, Ömer (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. Dec2024, Vol. 35 Issue 6, p900-918. 19p.
Subjects: Reporting of child abuse, Age groups, Disclosure, Chi-squared test, Legal evidence
Abstract: In light of limited existing knowledge, we aimed to examine the connection between disclosure facilitators and delays in the context of forensic interviews. We examined interview records from 403 children under 18 suspected of sexual abuse at a child advocacy center. The forensic interview records, family interview forms, and psychiatric examination reports in the files were retrospectively examined. Frequency, mean, and chi-square tests were implemented to analyze the data. The reasons for facilitating and delaying the disclosure of abuse were evaluated using a descriptive analysis method. Of the cases, 79.4% were girls, and 74% were in the 12–18 age group. It was determined that the presence of witnesses, evidence, and messages (16.37%) and discomfort with the suspect's/abuser's behavior (11.66%) facilitated the disclosure of abuse. On the other hand, reporting of abuse was delayed due to the suspect's/abuser's threats (18.85%) and the victim's fear, embarrassment and avoidance of her/his family (10.66%). The characteristics of abuse and disclosure reasons varied based on age groups and the intimacy level of the suspect. It has been observed that pre-adolescent children may face cognitive obstacles in disclosing abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Be the first to leave a comment!
You must be logged in first