Research Watch

Taking enough time to help children disclose sexual abuse

Reviewed By
Nico Trocmé

Summary

While best practice guidelines generally recommend that in cases of suspected child sexual abuse it is preferable to use a single interview by a skilled forensic interviewer, for children who have difficulty disclosing in a single meeting more time might be required. This study compared results obtained from a four session (three sessions with the child) and an eight-session (seven sessions with the child) protocol tested in 18 forensic interview sites across the United States. The sample consisted of 137 children, ages 2 through 17 (M = 6.26) who were randomly assigned to one of the two protocols. Children assigned to the eight-session protocol were significantly more likely to provide a “credible disclosure” of sexual abuse (56.6%) than were children assigned to the four-session protocol (29.5%). For children in the eight-session protocol, 95% of new disclosures occurred by the sixth session.

Methodological Notes

All interviewers participated in a two-day training session supported by a 225-page manual describing the four and eight session extended evaluations protocols. Data were gathered by the interviewers and independently reviewed by the authors. Follow-up information was gathered for any case classified as “sexual abuse likely”.