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 (ß = -.233, p <  .05). Caregivers were less likely to believe the abuse allegation if the alleged perpetrator resided in the home ß = -.386, p <  .05) and more likely to believe if the youth made a prior disclosure (ß = .286, p <  .05). Youth were more likely to disclose during the forensic interview if they were older (ß = .388, p <  .05), if the alleged perpetrator resided in their home (ß = .209, p <  .05), if they disclosed prior (ß = .254, p <  .05), and if their caregiver believed the allegation (ß = .213, p < . 05). The alleged perpetrator residing in the youth's home (ß = -0.082, p < .05) and making a prior disclosure (ß = 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.