Retractions of initial disclosure of sexual abuse are common among young children and should not be assumed to be indicative that abuse did not occur. In general, the longer the period of legal intervention involving the prospect of testifying, and the more family disruption involving hostility and denial by significant adults in the child's life, the more likely the young child will be to recant. This likelihood can frequently be reduced by careful preparation and involvement of non-abusive parents or parent figures in the initial interview process. When adults have been prepared to respond in a supportive manner, it allows children to see right away that they are not being blamed, and that significant adults in their lives are emotionally able to handle the disclosure. This result can be achieved through use of a videotape of the interview or of a two way mirror, or by conducting a carefully prepared session with the child and adult(s), where the disclosure interview is sensitively and thoroughly discussed. Laying this foundation for adults' acceptance of children's disclosures, and realistically preparing children for the types of intervention that may follow, can do a great deal to alleviate the fears and stress that lead to children's retractions.

Questions that are focused, in the sense that they inquire about specific events, acts, or individuals, are often a necessary part of the assessment process with young children. The questioning phase of an interview should begin with general, open ended questions, which give the child an opportunity to volunteer pertinent information that can then be probed further. However, sexually abused children usually have been warned not to disclose the abuse and are unlikely to do so voluntarily, particularly when they are unsure of how the interviewer will respond. Therefore if questions about sexual abuse are not specific, the information, whether it indicates positive or negative findings of abuse, is likely to be missed. On the other hand, questions that are leading to the point where they clearly anticipate or ask for certain responses are problematic with young children, because of concerns about exerting undue pressure on children, and because they may lead to accusations of coercion later on in the legal process.

Videotaping initial interviews can be a powerful therapeutic tool in the assessment process. The use of videotape provides a way of sharing a secret, a means of preventing retractions and confronting disbelieving parties, and a way of preventing multiple interviews by different evaluators. However, initial interviews of young children are frequently riddled with denials and disclosure information that may prove to be inconsistent with details or with additional disclosures that the children may make once they have overcome their initial fears. In such instances, videotapes can create additional problems in court if they are used to impeach children's and interviewers' credibility. In criminal cases involving multiple young victims, multiple charged perpetrators, and multiple defense attorneys, videotaping of initial disclosure interviews should be carefully considered because of the increased likelihood of their use to discredit children, and because of the difficulty of protecting individual privacy once they are released to defense counsel. (see SEXUALY ABUSED CHILDREN ARE FREQUENTLY AFRAID TO DISCLOSE ABUSE PART III)

About The Author
David Crawford is the CEO and owner of a Top Male Enhancement company known as Male Enhancement Group which is dedicated to researching and comparing male enhancement products in order to determine which male enhancement product is safer and more effective than other products on the market. Copyright 2011 David Crawford of Natural Male Enhancement This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.