Child sexual abuse victims as witnesses: The influence of testifying on their recovery |
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| Institution: | 1. University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA;2. University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Psychology Department, 113 Wilder Street, Suite 300, Lowell, MA 01854, USA;3. University of California, Los Angeles, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA;4. University of California, Irvine, Department of Psychology and Nursing Behavior, 4328 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Irvine, CA 92637, USA;5. California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, 3rd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804-6403, USA |
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| Abstract: | Victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) are likely to show a wide range of adaptation difficulties. In addition, some children and their families are involved in legal proceedings following the child’s disclosure. However, little is known about the effects of legal involvement on CSA victim’s mental health and recovery. In this longitudinal study, the effects of testifying were examined in a sample of 344 children at initial assessment (67% of girls) receiving services in a Child Advocacy Centre, of which 130 children testified. The participants’ age ranged from 6 to 14 years old (M = 9.42 SD = 2.14). Children and their parents completed a series of measures to evaluate the child’s mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD) at four points in time over a 2-year period. Multilevel analysis indicates that all the children showed significant improvement over time but the group who testified more than once shows higher levels of emotional distress 2 years after the initial assessment. This study highlights the importance of documenting the experience of CSA victims in the justice system in order to establish the adequate conditions to support child witnesses. |
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| Keywords: | Child sexual abuse Testifying Legal procedures Mental health |
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