Interviewing the Child Victim

The Child Interview is at the core of the multidisciplinary team investigation of child sexual abuse. The child is often the only "eye witness" to the abuse and his/her recollection of the experiences is crucial to identifying the offender and describing the type and extent of the assault.

A forensically dependable case requires that child victims report their recollections in reliable ways, not influenced by externally imposed ideas or interview practices. Ability to accomplish this depends on the interviewer's ability to provide care and comfort to the child while seeking information with objective, non-suggestive interview approaches and techniques. Achievement of this two-fold purpose of the child interview begins before the interview is conducted by having a working knowledge of factors that contribute to successful interviews of children. These factors include:

1. Child sexual abuse dynamics.
2. Process of disclosure.
3. Developmental factors that effect the interview process.

"The Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome," Roland Summit, M.D. (1983).

The Accommodation Syndrome is used to explain the child's position in the dynamics of sexual victimization. Dr. Summit describes how child sexual abuse (CSA) occurs in families, how it requires survival strategies from victims, and how the victims face secondary trauma during disclosure. The most typical reactions of children are called the Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome (CSAAS). The reactions are:

• Secrecy
• Helplessness
• Entrapment and accommodation
• Delayed, conflicted, and unconvincing disclosure
• Retraction

The five categories explain the denial, delayed disclosure, and subsequent system response in CSA cases. The "Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome," (Summit, 1983), the seminal paper on CSA dynamics, also applies to out-of-home abuse because the abuser is usually known and trusted by the child. The efficacy of the information is now supported by years of empirical research and experience.

Dr. Summit also wrote a follow-up article entitled, "Uses and Misuses of the Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome in Court Testimony", (1992). Both of these articles are excellent resources for court preparation.

A definitive study conducted by Sorenson and Snow (1991) supports the growing body of evidence showing that disclosure is not a one-time event. Follow-up sessions are needed to provide time for the tentative, but eventual full disclosure. The design of the study included an analysis of 116 cases of confirmed sexual abuse (confession 80%, conviction 14%, and medical 6%). Ninety percent of the cases involved multiple incidences; 74% were abused by family member; 26% made purposeful disclosures; and 76% made accidental disclosures.

Almost 75% of the victims denied abuse at the first interview. Only a few (7%) of those who denied the abuse moved directly to active disclosure during the interview and only 11% were able to give full disclosure without denial of tentative features. (Twenty-two percent recanted abuse during the interview). Ninety-six percent went on to disclose.

The commonly held presumption that children can immediately provide active disclosure by giving a coherent, detailed account in a single investigative interview is not supported by this data. The implications for interviewing are:

1. Guidelines should reflect understanding of how children disclose abuse.
2. Validation and videotaping decisions should consider if the child was in active disclosure at the time of the interview and if not, provide follow-up interview(s) for full disclosure. (Sorenson and Snow, 1991)