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 < .05), if they disclosed prior (β = .254, p < .05), and if their caregiver believed the allegation (β = .213, p < . 05). The alleged perpetrator residing in the youth's home (β = -0.082, p < .05) and making a prior disclosure (β = 0.060, p < .05) were both indirectly associated with forensic interview disclosure through caregiver belief.

Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of the family context and caregiver belief in the disclosure process for youth involved in formal CSA investigations.

Keywords: Abuse discovery; Caregiver belief; Disclosure; Forensic interview; Sexual abuse; Structural equation model.