Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure, Delay, and Denial

This volume provides the first rigorous assessment of the research relating to the disclosure of childhood sexual abuse, along with the practical and policy implications of the findings. Leading researchers and practitioners from diverse and international backgrounds offer critical commentary on these previously unpublished findings gathered from both field and laboratory research. Cross-cultural, clinical, and multi-disciplinary perspectives are provided. The goal is to learn more about why children frequently remain silent about their abuse, deny it, or if they do disclose, do so belatedly and incompletely, often recanting their allegations over time.The book opens with a close examination of the existing literature on disclosure and the difficulties in conducting such research. It then examines the individual and contextual factors that determine whether, when, and how childhood sexual abuse is disclosed. This portion reviews how the interview techniques have a profound impact on disclosure patterns. Details of how reluctant children are interviewed are included. The third section examines the broader implications of disclosure for the child, family and peers, and for the suspect. Child Sexual Abuse examines how the interview strategies influence how, when, or if children disclose abuse, by examining both domestic and international data and by analyzing detailed interviews with children. Child Sexual Abuse isfor researchers and practitioners from child, forensic, and clinical psychology, social work, and all legal professionals who need to understand this crime.

Contents: Introduction. M-E. Pipe, M.E. Lamb, Y. Orbach,A-C. Cederborg, Seeking Resolution in the Disclosure Wars: An Overview. K. London, M. Bruck, S.J. Ceci, D.W. Shuman,Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse: A Review of the Contemporary Empirical Literature.T.D. Lyon,False Denials: Overcoming Methodological Biases in Abuse Disclosure Research. I. Hershkowitz, D. Horowitz, M.E. Lamb, Individual and Family Variables Associated With Disclosure and Non-Disclosure of Child Abuse in Israel. M-E. Pipe, M.E. Lamb, Y. Orbach, H. Stewart, K.J. Sternberg, P. Esplin, Factors Associated With Non-Disclosure of Suspected Abuse During Forensic Interviews. I. Hershkowitz, Y. Orbach, M.E. Lamb, K.J. Sternberg, M-E.Pipe,D. Horowitz, Suspected Victims of Abuse Who Do Not Make Allegations: An Analysis of Their Interactions With Forensic Interviewers. Y. Orbach, H. Shiloach,M.E. Lamb, Reluctant Disclosers of Child Sexual Abuse. B.L. Bottoms, J.A. Quas,S.L. Davis, The Influence of Interviewer-Provided Social Support on Children’s Suggestibility, Memory, and Disclosures.A-C. Cederborg, M.E. Lamb,O. Laurell,Delay of Disclosure, Minimization, and Denial of Abuse When the Evidence Is Unambiguous. A Multi-Victim Case.B.L. Bottoms, A.G. Rudnicki,M.A. Epstein, A Retrospective Study of Factors Affecting the Disclosure of Childhood Sexual and Physical Abuse.D.A. Connolly, D.J. Read,Canadian Criminal Court Reports of Historic Child Sexual Abuse: Factors Associated With Delayed Prosecution and Reported Repression.K.J. Saywitz, P. Esplin,S. Romanoff, A Holistic Approach to Interviewing and Treating Children in the Legal System.C.H. Gumpert,Clinical and Organizational Perspectives on Denial and Delayed Disclosure. K. Wilson,Forensic Interviewing in New Zealand. D. Horowitz,The Silence of Abused Children in Israel: Policy Implications. F. Lindblad, Reflections on the Concept of Disclosure.