Themes Found in Narratives of Children Who Have Been Interviewed for Suspected Sexual Abuse

• In Event: Child Abuse: Exploring and Overcoming its Long-term Effects

Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive and complex social problem. CSA cases often vary in the age of the victim, their relationship to the perpetrator, and their victimization experience. The current study seeks to identify common themes within narratives of children forensically interviewed for suspected sexual abuse. A sample will be drawn from forensic interviews of suspected CSA victims who sought treatment at a large, Midwestern child advocacy center from 2013 to 2015 (N=80). Narratives of forensic interviews will be content analyzed to identify and code common themes in disclosure and victimization found within the narratives. Identified themes will be compared across age, gender, and the child’s cognitive ability. In future studies, the identified themes will be used to construct a case classification scheme which will serve as a reference when distinguishing case characteristics that are consistent with sexual abuse.

Authors

• Michelle Lynn Wojcik, University of Cincinnati

• Nicole Lasky, Northeastern State University

• Bonnie Sue Fisher, University of Cincinnati

• Amy Cassedy, Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

• Emily Eismann, Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

• Robert Shapiro, Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

• Heidi Malott, Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center