Trends in children's disclosure of abuse in Israel: A national study

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect Vol. 29; no. 11; pp. 1203 - 1214
• Main Authors: Hershkowitz, Irit, Horowitz, Dvora, Lamb, Michael E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2005; New York, NY Elsevier; Elsevier Science; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Abuse allegations; Adolescent; Age Differences; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse - classification; Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Child Health; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Criminology; Disclosure; Disclosure/nondisclosure; Female; Foreign Countries; Humans; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Investigations; Investigative interview protocols; Israel; Male; Medical sciences; Parent Child Relationship; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Self Disclosure; Self Disclosure (Individuals); Sexual Abuse; United States; Victimology; Victims of Crime; United States; Israel; Asia; United States > US; Investigative interview protocols; Disclosure/nondisclosure; Abuse allegations; Human; Sex; Victimology; Statistical study; Child abuse; Adolescent; Self disclosure; Sexual abuse; Child; Age
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.04.008

To identify characteristics of suspected child abuse victims that are associated with disclosure and nondisclosure during formal investigations.
The database included all suspected cases of physical and sexual abuse investigated in the state of Israel between 1998 and 2002. All investigative interviews were conducted using a single standardized protocol, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol.
Overall, 65% of the 26,446 children made allegations when interviewed, but rates of disclosure were greater in the case of sexual (71%) than physical (61%) abuse. Children of all ages were less likely to disclose/allege abuse when a parent was the suspected perpetrator. Rates of disclosure/allegation increased as children grew older, with 50% of the 3- to 6-year-olds, 67% of the 7- to 10-year-olds, and 74% of the 11- to 14-year-olds disclosing abuse when questioned.
Although most interviews of suspected victims yielded allegations, such rates of disclosure varied systematically depending on the nature of the alleged offences, the relationship between alleged victims and suspected perpetrators, and the age of the suspected victims. The findings obtained in this large and unselected data set confirm patterns previously reported in smaller and quite selective samples, most of them obtained in the United States.
French-language abstract not available at time of publication.
Spanish-language abstract not available at time of publication.