Search

Le programme Lanterne vise à prévenir la violence sexuelle et s’adresse aux enfants d’âge préscolaire ainsi qu’aux adultes qui gravitent autour d’eux. Cette étude vise à recueillir 1) les perceptions des personnes éducatrices concernant l’utilisation des outils pédagogiques du programme auprès des enfants et 2) l’expérience subjective des personnes-ressources qui agissent à titre de Lanterne. Selon les personnes interrogées, les outils sont très appréciés des tout-petits et le programme est adapté à leur niveau développemental. Les personnes Lanterne ont aussi observé des retombées positives du programme sur leur pratique professionnelle, elles rapportent notamment accorder un plus grand respect à l’intimité des jeunes enfants. Finalement, les données recueillies permettent d’offrir des recommandations en vue d’assurer la pérennité du programme., The “Lanterne” Program, aimed at preventing sexual violence, is intended for preschoolers and the adults close to them. The purpose of this study is to collect data on 1) educator perceptions regarding the use of the program’s educational tools with children and 2) the subjective experiences of resource persons acting as Lanterns. According to the interviewees, the tools are very popular with the children and the program is developmentally appropriate for them. The Lanterns have also observed that the program has positive impacts on their professional practice, including greater respect for the privacy of young children. Finally, the collected data suggests recommendations to ensure the program’s sustainability., El programa Lanterne tiene como objetivo prevenir la violencia sexual. Está dirigido tanto a los niños en edad preescolar como a los adultos que gravitan a su alrededor. Este estudio tiene como objetivo recopilar: 1) las percepciones de las educadoras sobre el uso de las herramientas educativas del programa con los niños y 2) la experiencia subjetiva de las personas recursos que actúan como linternas (Lanterne). Según los entrevistados, las herramientas son muy populares entre los niños pequeños y el programa está adaptado a su nivel de desarrollo. Las personas linternas (Lanterne) también han observado el impacto positivo del programa en su práctica profesional, en particular, informan otorgar un mayor respeto a la intimidad de los niños pequeños. Finalmente, los datos recopilados permiten ofrecer recomendaciones en vista de asegurar la continuidad del programa.

This study aims to advance the field of child forensic interviewing by assessing the impact of different refresher training modalities on police officers’ abilities to adhere to the steps of an interview protocol and on the types of questions used. Previously trained police officers (N = 46) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: (1) supervision with an expert, (2) peer group supervision, and (3) computer-assisted exercises on children’s investigative interview techniques. Comparison of interviews conducted before (n = 136) and after (n = 124) the refresher modalities revealed an improvement in performance across time for almost all steps of the protocol. There were more effects associated with time than with modality of refresher training with regard to question types used during episodic memory training and the substantive phase of the interview. Although there were some differences between the three conditions, no method emerged as clearly superior. Results suggest that all modalities could be useful in refreshing adherence to the steps of an interview protocol and use of best practice questioning approaches. The discussion highlights that the time devoted to the three modalities was likely not enough and that further studies are needed to determine the most optimal delivery of refresher training.

This study examines the narratives of children victims of sexual abuse. Specifically, our objective was to explore how sixteen children aged six to eight use language during their investigative interview to avoid mentioning the sexual acts they suffered. One way to silence these acts is the introduction into their discourse of temporal gaps in the description of the event, a phenomenon known as narrative ellipses. Our analyses indicate that the ellipses observed generally relate to the most severe sexual acts or those that the victims have been le d to perform towards the perpetrator. This result suggests that some victims introduce temporal gaps in their discourse to avoid mentioning theparts of the assault that they do not want to address.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with many repercussions on adolescents' mental health, including suicidal ideation. Yet, the mechanisms linking CSA to adverse outcomes have rarely been investigated within a longitudinal design. The current study aimed to examine the role of affect dysregulation in the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation 1year after the first assessment in a sample of 119 sexually abused adolescent girls. An integrative mediational model was conceptualized to examine the explicatory role of affect dysregulation (Time 2) in the association between depressive symptoms (Time 1) and suicidal ideation (Time 3). Approximately 31% of the girls reported suicidal ideation at Time 3. Path analysis with logistic regressions revealed that the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation presence was partly explained by affect dysregulation, which increased the risk of suicidal ideation presence by 18.4%, OR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.07, 1.33]. The integrative model explained 21.5% of the variance in suicidal ideation. These findings identify potential predictors of suicidal ideation among sexually abused adolescent girls. This present study highlights the role of affect dysregulation in the presence of suicidal ideation and provides potential targets for intervention practices when working with adolescent girl victims of CSA. As such, interventions for this vulnerable population should aim to decrease depressive symptoms and affect dysregulation to reduce suicidal risk.

Les donnees empiriques concernant les effets de l’examen anogenital a la suite du devoilement d’une agression sexuelle chez les enfants sont peu nombreuses et contradictoires. L’objectif de cette etude est de documenter l’etat emotionnel de l’enfant presume victime et celui de son parent lors de la visite medicale, ainsi que les facteurs qui pourraient etre lies aux niveaux d’anxiete, de detresse et de douleur ressentis par l’enfant. L’echantillon, compose de 55 enfants âges entre 6 et 12 ans et leurs parents, est reparti en deux groupes, soit 37 enfants presumes victimes et 18 enfants non-victimes ayant consulte pour des infections urinaires. Les resultats des tests statistiques chi-carre et test-t indiquent, contrairement a ce qui etait attendu, qu’il n’y a aucune difference significative du niveau d’anxiete ressenti entre les enfants presumes victimes et non-victimes et entre les enfants en general et leur parent. De plus, le niveau de connaissance par rapport a l’examen anogenital n’influence pas le niveau d’anxiete ressenti par l’enfant et le parent, ainsi que le niveau de detresse de l’enfant. Finalement, aucun lien n’a ete trouve entre l’anxiete ressentie par l’enfant avant l’examen et le niveau de douleur rapporte durant celui-ci. Afin d’obtenir un portrait des participants quant aux antecedents medicaux, ainsi qu’aux caracteristiques de l’examen medical, diverses analyses statistiques exploratoires ont ete effectuees. Les resultats confirment ceux d’autres etudes indiquant que les enfants presumes victimes d’agression sexuelle ne ressentent pas plus d’anxiete, de detresse (score total) et de douleur que les enfants non-victimes lors de l’examen.

Le but de l’article est de presenter les resultats d’un consortium d’experts designes par le Centre d’expertise Marie-Vincent. Le mandat du consortium etait d’evaluer l’etat des connaissances sur l...

Objective Prior studies have documented the potential role of nonoffending parent support in promoting recovery of adult survivors following sexual abuse (SA). However, few studies have distinguished the maternal and paternal role and the mechanisms by which quality of the parent-child relationship might foster more positive outcomes in child victims. The purpose of this study was to examine coping strategies as mediators of the link between mother-child and father-child relationship and outcomes following child SA. Method A sample of 505 children (339 girls and 166 boys) ages 6-13 years completed measures evaluating perceived attachment security to mother and father (Kerns Security Scale; Kerns, Klepac, & Cole, 1996), as well as coping strategies related to the SA experienced (Self-Reported Coping Scale; Causey & Dubow, 1992). Outcomes evaluated were posttraumatic stress symptoms (PSS; Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale-II [CITES-II]; Wolfe, 2002) and self-esteem (Harter, 1985). Results Results indicated that, in girls, both attachment security to the mother and to the father are associated with lower PSS symptoms and higher self-esteem through a lesser use of avoidant coping. Avoidance coping mediated the link between attachment security to the mother and outcomes in boys. In addition, security in the relationship with the same-sex parent was associated with approach coping, which in turn was associated with both outcomes for girls and with PSS for boys. Conclusion Findings highlight the importance of involving both parents in interventions for sexually abused children as mothers and fathers appear to play different, yet complementary roles in sustaining children's recovery. (PsycINFO Database Record

The impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure on parents’ psychological health has been documented among samples of nonoffending parents. Much less is known about the parents’ physical health. ...

Les facteurs influençant le parcours des dossiers d'agression sexuelle (AS) envers les enfants dans le système de justice québécois restent méconnus. Afin de mieux cerner les variables liées à la décision des enquêteurs de fonder le dossier ou des procureurs d'autoriser la plainte, les caractéristiques de l'enfant, de l'AS, du contexte de dévoilement, de la garde, des preuves disponibles et de l'entrevue d'enquête ont été extraites de 169 entrevues et dossiers d'AS. Les résultats des régressions logistiques révèlent certains prédicteurs communs aux deux corps professionnels relativement à la décision d'accepter le dossier, soit l'âge de l'enfant et la corroboration des faits par le suspect. Chez les enquêteurs, plusieurs prédicteurs significatifs s'ajoutent : le fait que le dévoilement soit accidentel, le choix du premier confident et la fréquence des agressions. Chez les procureurs, les autres prédicteurs significatifs mis en évidence sont la protection maternelle, l'adhésion à un guide d'entrevue non suggestif de même que le nombre de faits corroborés par le témoin. Ces résultats montrent l'importance de variables liées à la preuve dans l'acceptation d'un dossier d'AS, mais soulignent également l'importance, dans le parcours judiciaire, des facteurs contextuels tels que le soutien maternel.

Plusieurs facteurs sont susceptibles d’influencer la dynamique des entrevues d’enquête menées auprès d’enfants que l’on soupçonne victimes d’agression sexuelle (AS). Cette étude vise à examiner l’effet du soutien de l’intervieweur, des caractéristiques de l’enfant et de l’AS alléguée sur la collaboration offerte par l’enfant. Ainsi, 90 entrevues conduites par des policiers auprès d’enfants âgés de 4 à 13 ans ont été transcrites et analysées à l’aide de grilles mesurant le soutien et le non-soutien offerts verbalement par les intervieweurs et les comportements de collaboration et de résistance exprimés par les enfants. Des analyses de variance multivariées indiquent que les intervieweurs se comportent de façon similaire, peu importe l’âge de l’enfant, et que les jeunes enfants collaborent significativement moins que les préadolescents. Les résultats des régressions multiples hiérarchiques indiquent que le soutien offert par l’intervieweur est un facteur important associé tant à la collaboration qu’à la résistance de l’enfant. Le soutien des intervieweurs est un facteur plus important que les caractéristiques des enfants ou de leurs agressions pour expliquer la résistance des enfants. La discussion aborde l’importance du soutien pour aider les enfants à collaborer lorsqu’ils dévoilent leur AS., Several factors may influence the dynamics of investigative interviews conducted with children who are suspected victims of sexual abuse. This study examines the effect of the characteristics of the child, the nature of the sexual abuse, and support by the interviewer on children’s collaboration. A total of 90 interviews conducted by police officers with children aged between four and 13 years old were transcribed and analyzed using grids to measure the support and non-support offered by interviewers and the cooperation or reluctance expressed by the children. Results from MANOVA indicate that interviewers behave similarly regardless of the age of the child and that young children cooperate significantly less than pre-teens. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that the support offered by the interviewer is the most important factor associated with both cooperation and resistance on the part of the child. The level of interviewer support is an even better predictor of children’s resistance than the characteristics of the children or of the sexual abuse. The discussion underlines the importance of interviewer support in helping children collaborate when they are discussing sexual abuse., Diversos factores pueden influenciar la dinámica de las entrevistas de investigación llevadas a cabo con niños que pueden haber sido víctimas de agresión sexual (AS). El presente estudio examinara el efecto de apoyo del entrevistador, las características del niño y de la AS alegada, sobre la colaboración ofrecida por el niño. En total, 90 entrevistas a niños de entre 4 y 13 años, realizadas por policías, han sido transcriptas y analizadas con la ayuda de un modelo de análisis que mide el apoyo o el no-apoyo ofrecido verbalmente por los entrevistadores y los comportamientos de colaboración y de resistencia expresados por los niños. Los análisis de varianzas multivariadas indican que los entrevistadores se comportan de forma similar, poco importa la edad del niño y que los niños más pequeños colaboran significativamente menos que los preadolescentes. Los resultados de las regresiones múltiples jerárquicas indican que el apoyo ofrecido por el entrevistador es un factor importante asociado tanto a la colaboración como a la resistencia del niño. El apoyo de los entrevistadores es un factor más importante que las características de los niños o de sus agresiones sufridas para explicar la resistencia de éstos. La discusión aborda la importancia del apoyo para ayudar los niños a colaborar cuando desvelan su AS.

Depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation are among the most prevalent problems associated with sexual abuse. Based on the Traumagenic dynamic of stigmatization model, the aim of this study was to investigate whether self-blame, shame, and maladaptive coping strategies predicted posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among sexually abused adolescent girls using a longitudinal design. A total of 100 adolescent girls completed a series of questionnaires at the initial visit at the intervention center (T1) and 6 months later (T2). Path analysis reveals shame at T1 predicted posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms at T2 whereas self-blame at T1 predicted depressive symptoms at T2. Furthermore, avoidance coping at T1 and depressive symptoms at T2 predicted suicidal ideation at T2 and accounted for 54% of the variance. These findings suggest that interventions designed for sexually abused adolescent girls should target shame, self-blame, and avoidance coping to foster recovery in this vulnerable population.

Despite important progress in knowledge about interview ‘best practice’ with child victims, few studies had yet evaluated the impact of interviewers’ personal characteristics on adherence to these ‘best practice’. This study was designed to determine whether interviewers’ personal characteristics are associated with adherence to a structured interview protocol (National Institute of Child and Human Development), the use of open-ended questions and the amount of details provided in children’s responses during investigative interviews with alleged victims of child sexual abuse. 114 interviews were scored from 13 police investigators after they followed a one-week training program. Results showed that experience, emotional intelligence, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism were related with adherence to the protocol and ratio of open-ended questions. Cognitive abilities were related to the amount of details obtained from the child. Generalized estimating equations were used ...

Child sexual abuse (CSA) can severely affect the mental health of children and their parents. While correlates of recovery have been documented in children, factors exacerbating parents’ adaptation to their child’s unveiling of CSA deserves further attention. Parents’ history of abuse has been inconsistently identified as a predictor of their distress in reaction to their child’s abuse disclosure. This study proposes a mediation model that explores various processes underlying mother’s psychological distress (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], dissociation, and their comorbidity) following their children’s unveiling of CSA. It investigates the influence of mother’s own CSA, as well as of her exposure to additional forms of past and current victimization, on her reaction to the child’s CSA disclosure, while considering coping mechanisms as mediators (avoidance, problem solving, search for social support, and feeling of guilt). Data were collected through self-report measures completed by 298 mothers of children who had recently disclosed CSA. Path analyses revealed that mother’s exposure to interparental violence as a child acted as a primary predictor of dissociation and of its comorbidity with PTSD, while a history of CSA was directly and exclusively linked to dissociation. Being exposed to recent partner violence was indirectly related to trauma symptoms, with coping mechanisms acting as mediators. This study outlines the relationship between mother’s psychological distress and her cumulative, past, and current exposure to various forms of victimization. Exposure to interparental violence as a child represents a particularly important factor for identifying mothers most in need of support, as it is a significant predictor of dissociation and of its comorbidity with PTSD.

Objectifs. Il emerge de la litterature un manque de constance des resultats au sujet des taux de revelation d’une agression sexuelle (AS) durant l’enfance. Les etudes concernees ont pour la plupart examine cette problematique a l’aide d’une categorisation dichotomique (devoilement/non-devoilement). La presente etude propose une conceptualisation multidimensionnelle plus etendue plutot qu’avec exclusivement deux categories du devoilement (oui/non). Trois groupes d’enfants ont donc ete formes et compares entre eux : devoilement sans resistance (Groupe 1), devoilement avec resistance (Groupe 2) et resistance et absence de devoilement (Groupe 3). L’etude explore egalement les differences entre les trois groupes en ce qui a trait aux caracteristiques des enfants, des AS et des techniques d’auditions afin de degager les facteurs associes a la resistance au devoilement.Methodologie. L’echantillon est compose de 61 enfants presumes victimes d’AS âges entre 3 et 14 ans interroges lors de l’audition effectuee par des policiers formes au protocole d’audition du NICHD4. Les reponses des enfants, leur contenu de meme que les techniques d’auditions employees ont ete recueillies a partir des transcriptions des auditions. Ces donnees ainsi que celles inherentes aux caracteristiques des enfants et des agressions ont ensuite ete analysees en fonction des trois groupes.Resultats. Les analyses indiquent que les comportements des enfants et des interviewers varient d’un groupe a l’autre. L’âge influence significativement le devoilement (les enfants de moins de 5 ans sont les seuls a ne pas devoiler) et la bonne collaboration durant l’entretien (52% des enfants non-resistants sont âges de plus de 9 ans). La resistance est augmentee lorsque l’AS est intrafamiliale et plus severe (avec penetration). Les interviewers posent plus de questions et recoivent des reponses plus detaillees des enfants non-resistants. Le degre de resistance reste constant entre la phase predeclarative et la phase declarative pour la majorite des enfants.Conclusion. L’heterogeneite des trois groupes met en lumiere la pertinence pour les etudes futures d’aborder la question du devoilement en contexte d’audition sous un angle multidimensionnel plutot que dichotomique.

In the past 20 years, guidelines have been developed to help interviewers investigate cases of alleged child sexual abuse (CSA), but few studies have assessed investigators’ abilities to adhere to these guidelines. This study aimed to evaluate whether some investigative interviewers’ personal attributes are related to their performance in a mock investigative interview with a child victim of sexual abuse. Assessment was conducted in a police training context. A total of 24 French Canadian police investigators followed a one-week training program aimed at using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) interview protocol. These investigators performed a mock interview at the end of the training to test their practical competence. They also filled out three questionnaires assessing their cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence, and personality traits. Interview performance was positively related to cognitive abilities, female gender, and the personality trait of Openness to Ex...

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to review an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Protocol (NICHD Protocol), with a specific focus on how the Protocol is being adapted in various countries.Design/methodology/approach– The authors include international contributions from experienced trainers, practitioners, and scientists, who are already using the Protocol or whose national or regional procedures have been directly influenced by the NICHD Protocol research (Canada, Finland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, and USA). Throughout the review, these experts comment on: how and when the Protocol was adopted in their country; who uses it; training procedures; challenges to implementation and translation; and other pertinent aspects. The authors aim to further promote good interviewing practice by sharing the experiences of these international experts.Findings– The NICHD Protocol can be easily incorporated into existing training programs worldwide and is available for free. It was originally developed in English and Hebrew and is available in several other languages.Originality/value– This paper reviews an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the NICHD Protocol. It has been extensively studied and reviewed over the past 20 years. This paper is unique in that it brings together practitioners who are actually responsible for training forensic interviewers and conducting forensic interviews from all around the world.

In the field of child sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure, many studies have been conducted on the impact of interviewers' questioning style, but few have examined the impact of interviewers' supportive comments on children's cooperative and reluctant disclosure of substantive details. This field study used a sample of children ranging from 4 to 13 years of age who have all disclosed CSA. The first objective was to examine if the interviewer's and the child's comments during CSA interviews would vary as a function of the use of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Protocol. The second objective was to identify the strongest correlates of the proportion of details disclosed by the children during forensic interviews. A total of 90 matched NICHD Protocol and non-Protocol interviews done by the same interviewers were audio-taped, transcribed, and coded using verbal subscales. The goal was to explore if differences exist between the interviewers' supportive and non-supportive comments as well as children's cooperative and reluctant statements during investigative interviews conducted prior to or after the NICHD Protocol training. Results of a MANCOVA showed that the use of the NICHD Protocol had no influence on interviewers' and children's demeanors. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis controlling for relevant variables (e.g., child's age and NICHD Protocol) showed that children's reluctance and interviewers' non-support were associated with a lesser proportion of details. Overall, these results indicate that in order to promote detailed disclosure of CSA, interviewers should decrease their non-supportive comments and learn to deal more effectively with children's reluctance during forensic interviews. As such, protocols and training should encourage investigative interviewers to devote more time identifying early signs of children's verbal reluctance and to understand the negative impact of non-supportive comments on the disclosure of substantive details.

Parental support provided to child sexual abuse (CSA) victims is a key element in their recovery process. Yet, little is known about the extent and nature of support provided by fathers when they are not identified as the perpetrators. This study compares abuse-specific and nonspecific support provided by 92 mothers and 32 fathers after disclosure and six months later. The assessment of both types of support revealed that only the provision of nonspecific support was predicted by gender. With the exception of social support, all other dimensions increased in the months following disclosure. Implications for child protective agencies include early detection of a small group of parents who may have difficulty offering support to their child, in order to foster the development of optimal support strategies.

Background The current state of knowledge regarding the role of non-offending fathers in supporting their sexually abused children is very scarce. Objective The objective of this study is to further our understanding of fathers’ roles following disclosure of their children’s sexual abuse (SA) by evaluating fathers’ perceptions of the impact of disclosure on their involvement and support of their children. Participants and method This qualitative study relies on individual semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 fathers of allegedly abused children. Results Inductive thematic analysis first highlighted that some reported a period of disengagement from the child during which they put into question their role and attitudes, followed by a period of re-involvement. This period of difficulties experienced by some fathers in regard to their involvement towards their children was due to either their own important psychological distress, their ambivalence towards their child or even because of feelings of uneasiness experienced during physical contact with them. Despite this, findings indicate the presence of thoughts and attitudes that suggest children are a source of concern for fathers. The four forms of abuse-specific support previously observed among mothers (believing the child, seeking out professional services, protecting him/her from the offender, supporting him/her emotionally) were also observed among fathers. In accordance with the activation theory, a form of support specific to fathers, namely, encouraging the child to open up to and explore the world outside the family, thereby, fostering the child’s self-esteem development, was observed and constitutes a relevant finding. Conclusion Clinical and empirical implications are discussed.

Sexual abuse is associated with a host of negative repercussions in adolescence. Yet the possible mechanisms linking sexual abuse and negative outcomes are understudied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among self-blame, shame, coping strategies, posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. The sample included 147 sexually abused adolescent girls between 14 and 18 years of age. A total of 66% of girls reached clinical score for posttraumatic stress disorder, and 53% reached clinical score for depressive symptoms. Close to half (46%) reported suicidal thoughts in the past 3 months. Shame was found to partially mediate the relationship between self-blame and posttraumatic stress disorder. Shame and depressive symptoms were also found to partially mediate the relationship between self-blame and suicidal ideation. Results suggest that shame is a crucial target in interventions designed for sexually abused adolescent girls.

Maternal support offered to sexually abused children following disclosure may be a crucial factor in children's recovery. A person-centered approach was used to examine how profiles of nonoffending mothers could better describe their ability to support their children after disclosure. Cluster analyses based on a total of 226 nonoffending mothers recruited from child protective services yielded four distinctive groups of mothers: resilient, avoidant-coping, traumatized, and anger-oriented reaction. These profiles differed on measures of support, parenting, and variables related to attitude following disclosure. The discussion underscores the relevance of adopting a tailored approach to intervention with mothers of sexually abused children.

Disclosure of child sexual abuse can be traumatic for nonoffending parents. Research has shown its impact on mothers' mental health, which includes heightened psychological distress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Very little is known, however, about its impact on their physical health or on fathers' health. The self-perceived mental and physical health of nonoffending parents after child sexual abuse disclosure was compared to determine gender-related differences in this regard. Interviews were conducted with 109 mothers and 43 fathers of 6- to 13-year-old sexually abused children. Bivariate analyses revealed that a fair proportion of parents reported psychological and physical problems after disclosure. However, proportionally more mothers than fathers reported psychological distress, depression, and use of professional services. Fathers were more likely to resort to health services instead of social services and to use medication for depression. Study findings provide leads for health and social service providers for the development of intervention protocols and referral procedures sensitive to gender issues, and they shed new light on specific needs of nonoffending parents.

The present study looks into the association between the types of questions used by interviewers and the number of details obtained among preschoolers during an investigative interview. An innovative aspect of this study concerns the analysis of question subtypes (eg. open-ended directive and closed-ended). Analysis of variance were carried out on 55 NICHD interview protocols conducted among children aged three to five years old who disclosed an episode of sexual abuse. Findings reveal that interviewers' style is in accordance with best practices in conducting investigative interviews with children allegedly victims of sexual abuse. As expected, there are more details in answers: 1) provided by older children compared to younger counterparts; 2) following invitations compared to all other question types. However, the analysis of question subtypes has shown that answers given to an open-ended question using cues (cued invitations or directive open-ended) obtained more details concerning the incident compared to the absence of cues (general invitations). These findings support the fact that children as young as three years old are able to produce informative responses when questioned appropriately about the CSA incident and propose reconsidering the types of question that should mainly be used with them. Findings suggest that the use of open-ended questions, using a cue previously mentioned in the testimony of the child, helps provide a detailed account during an investigative interview conducted among preschoolers allegedly victims of sexual abuse.

Summary Two groups of police investigators were trained in the use of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) interview protocol. After the training, one group (n = 8) received written feedback on each interview they conducted, whereas the other group (n = 11) did not. The objective of the study was, first, to evaluate the effect of NICHD protocol implementation on the types of questions and details provided by children and, second, to evaluate the impact of post-training feedback. Interviewees were alleged sexual abuse victims between the ages of 3 and 14 years. Application of the NICHD protocol allowed interviewers to use more open-ended questions and to obtain more details. The results show that providing feedback significantly increased the quality of the interviews. It is recommended that the NICHD protocol be used to interview child victims and witnesses and that feedback sessions be held with interviewers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We investigated the interaction effects between mother’s lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders and psychosocial correlates of 6 to 11 year-old children’s self-reported externalizing symptoms in the Quebec Child Mental Health Survey. A representative subsample of 1,490 Quebec children aged 6 to 11 years was selected from the original sample. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses using externalizing symptoms as reported by children through the Dominic questionnaire and multiple child, family and socioeconomic characteristics. Two variables interacted significantly with mother’s lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders to predict 6 to 11 year-old children’s self-reported externalizing symptoms: physical/sexual abuse and mother’s caring behaviours. Results underline the main contribution of mother-child relationship and stressful events in the association between mother’s lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders and children’s externalizing symptoms. It is suggested to develop preventive intervention programs oriented towards children of lifetime depressed/anxious parents who also report parent-child relational difficulties.