TY - JOUR
T1 - Disclosing the abuse
T2 - The effect of ethnoreligious identity on CSA disclosure in forensic interviews
AU - Mordi, Hanin
AU - Katz, Carmit
AU - Tener, Dafna
AU - Savaya, Rivka
N1 - Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Multiple studies have examined sexually abused children and their interactions with the legal system, as manifested in children's disclosures of sexual abuse during forensic interviews. Nevertheless, few have done so while referencing contextual variables, such as ethnoreligious identity. The current study was designed to examine how ethnoreligious identity affects children's disclosure in forensic interviews beyond the contribution of child characteristics and abuse characteristics. In addition, the moderating role of pre-interview disclosure was examined. An analysis of 1054 forensic interviews conducted in Israel indicated a relationship between a child's age, gender, and abuse characteristics (i.e., perpetrator identity and type of abuse) with the likelihood of disclosure during the forensic interview. The results indicated a relationship between ethnoreligious identity and forensic disclosure. Unexpectedly, Muslim Arab children were more likely to disclose than Jewish children. Predictably, pre-interview disclosure moderated the relationship between abuse characteristics and ethnoreligious identity (among Jews) and forensic disclosure. Conversely, it did not moderate the relationship between child characteristics and disclosure during the forensic interview. The findings demonstrate the importance of a context-informed examination of child abuse disclosure and its potential to advance the development of services adapted to children from diverse communities.
AB - Multiple studies have examined sexually abused children and their interactions with the legal system, as manifested in children's disclosures of sexual abuse during forensic interviews. Nevertheless, few have done so while referencing contextual variables, such as ethnoreligious identity. The current study was designed to examine how ethnoreligious identity affects children's disclosure in forensic interviews beyond the contribution of child characteristics and abuse characteristics. In addition, the moderating role of pre-interview disclosure was examined. An analysis of 1054 forensic interviews conducted in Israel indicated a relationship between a child's age, gender, and abuse characteristics (i.e., perpetrator identity and type of abuse) with the likelihood of disclosure during the forensic interview. The results indicated a relationship between ethnoreligious identity and forensic disclosure. Unexpectedly, Muslim Arab children were more likely to disclose than Jewish children. Predictably, pre-interview disclosure moderated the relationship between abuse characteristics and ethnoreligious identity (among Jews) and forensic disclosure. Conversely, it did not moderate the relationship between child characteristics and disclosure during the forensic interview. The findings demonstrate the importance of a context-informed examination of child abuse disclosure and its potential to advance the development of services adapted to children from diverse communities.
KW - Child sexual abuse (CSA)
KW - Ethnoreligious identity
KW - Forensic disclosure
KW - Forensic interviews
KW - Jewish children
KW - Muslim Arab children
KW - Child Abuse, Sexual/diagnosis
KW - Humans
KW - Self Disclosure
KW - Disclosure
KW - Child Abuse
KW - Forensic Medicine
KW - Child
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121741315&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105441
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105441
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C2 - 34952460
AN - SCOPUS:85121741315
SN - 0145-2134
VL - 124
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
M1 - 105441
ER -