Emotional valence and the types of information provided by children in forensic interviews.

BACKGROUND: Emotions can powerfully affect memory retrieval although this effect has seldom been studied in everyday contexts. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between children's verbal emotional expressions and the type of information reported during forensic interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample included 198 interviews with 4- to 14-year-old (M = 9.36, SD = 2.37) alleged victims of repeated physical abuse perpetrated by family members conducted using the Revised NICHD Protocol which emphasizes a supportive interviewing style. METHODS: Interview videos were transcribed and each conversational turn was coded to reflect the amount and type of children's verbal emotional expressions, forensic information provided, interviewers' demeanor, and type of question asked. RESULTS: The verbal expression of negative emotions was positively associated with the production of more central details (ß = 0.29, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001) and peripheral details (ß = 0.66, SE = 0.07, p < 0.001), while the verbal expression of positive emotions was correlated with peripheral details (ß = 0.29, SE = 0.15, p = 0.047). The verbal expression of negative emotions was associated with the production of more specific details (ß = 0.73, SE = 0.06, p < 0.001]) and less generic information (ß = -0.39, SE = 0.18, p = 0.029) whereas positive emotions were associated only with increased specific information (ß = 0.28, SE = 0.12, p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight how emotional expression, especially of negative emotions, enhances the quantity and quality of children's reports in forensic contexts.

Avaliação de treinamento em entrevistas investigativas com crianças vítimas de violência sexual / Evaluation of training in investigative interviews with child victims of sexual violence / Evaluación de entrenamiento en entrevistas de investigación con niños víctimas de violencia

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o impacto de um programa de treinamento para o uso do protocolo do National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). O treinamento foi composto por 20h de atividades presenciais teórico-práticas. Participaram do estudo 55 profissionais com idade média de 38,4 anos. Inicialmente, foram mensurados os níveis de impacto do treinamento, engajamento no trabalho, autoeficácia ocupacional e características laborais. Em seguida, foram conduzidas entrevistas com seis participantes que, após o treinamento, adotaram a utilização do Protocolo NICHD ou optaram por não adotar a técnica. Os resultados apontam que os profissionais que participaram do treinamento o avaliaram de forma positiva e perceberam o impacto na sua prática profissional. Foi possível identificar que os níveis de engajamento no trabalho predizem a reação ao treinamento e antecedem a transferência de aprendizagem e o impacto do treinamento (i.e., transferência de treinamento).

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a training program for the use of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) protocol. The training consisted of 20 hours of classroom activities. The study included 55 professionals with an average age of 38.4 years. Initially, the levels of training impact, work engagement, occupational self-efficacy and job characteristics were measured. Then, interviews were conducted with six participants who, after training, either adopted the use of the NICHD protocol, or did not adopt it. The results show that the levels of work engagement predict the satisfaction with the training. When analysed together, these two factors precede the transfer of learningand the impact of training.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el impacto de un programa de entrenamiento para el uso del protocolo del National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).El entrenamiento consistió en 20 horas de actividades teórico-práctcas en el aula. Participaron del estudio 55 profesionales, con edad promedio de 38,4 años. Inicialmente, fueron medidos los niveles del impacto del entrenamiento, el compromiso laboral, la autoeficacia ocupacional y las características laborales. Luego, fueron realizadas entrevistas con seis participantes que, después del entrenamiento, adoptaron el uso del Protocolo NICHD o decidieron no adoptar la técnica. Los resultados muestran que los profesionales que participaron del entrenamiento lo evaluaron de forma positiva y percibieron el impacto em su practaica professional. Fue posible identificar que los niveles de compromisso laboral predicen la reacción al entrenamiento y anticipam la transferencia de aprendizaje y el impacto del entrenamiento (i.e, transferencia del entrenamiento).

Assessing the Individual Interviewer Rapport-Building and Supportive Techniques of the R-NICHD Protocol.

The use of the rapport-building and supportive techniques formulated by the R-NICHD protocol is intended to support children and increase the quality of their statements as well as disclosures without possessing suggestive potential. While the effectiveness of the entire R-NICHD protocol for children who have actually experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) has been supported by research, to date no study assessed the effect of each individual socio-emotional interview technique in both interviewees with and without CSA experiences. The current study aimed to address this gap in research by means of an online vignette-study, asking participants to rate the identified rapport-building and supportive techniques on the scales well-being, willingness to talk, and perceived pressure. A total of 187 participants were randomly assigned to either a hypothetical "abused" or a hypothetical "not abused" group by means of a vignette-manipulation. The results suggest that many socio-emotional interview techniques were perceived as supportive and non-suggestive, while a number of techniques were perceived as not supportive but suggestive. Few differences emerged between the hypothetical "abused" group and the hypothetical "not abused" control group. To conclude, most but not all rapport-building and supportive techniques proposed by the R-NICHD protocol had a positive effect on interviewees.

The NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol: A Meta-Analytic Review.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of literature were conducted examining the effectiveness of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Investigative Interview Protocol in improving the quality of child forensic interviews. Online databases were searched for journal articles published between the years 2000 and 2013. Measures of interview quality were the type of interviewer utterances and the amount of information provided by children. Five studies met criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Weighted mean of the effect sizes was calculated for each outcome measure. Protocol interviews had more invitations (g = 1.60) and fewer option-posing (g = -.95) and suggestive prompts (g = -.63) than standard interviews. Children interviewed by the protocol provided more central details (g = .90) in response to invitations than controls. Meta-analyses of a subset of preschool children samples revealed that protocol interviews had more invitations (g = 1.46), fewer suggestive prompts (g = -.61), and fewer option-posing prompts (g = -1.05) than controls. Findings corroborate results from previous studies that suggested the benefits of the protocol on the interviewers' performance and on children's informativeness. However, protocol did not show the same performance with regard to preschool children.

Impact of interviewers' supportive comments and children's reluctance to cooperate during sexual abuse disclosure.

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.

Investigação de suspeita de abuso sexual infantojuvenil: o Protocolo NICHD / Investigation of suspected child sexual abuse: the NICHD protocol / Investigación de sospecha de abuso sexual infantojuvenil: el protocolo NICHD

O presente artigo consiste em uma revisão sistemática de literatura que se refere à escuta adequada e às estratégias para investigação da violência sexual infantil, com especial ênfase no Protocolo NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), reconhecido pela literatura internacional especializada como um dos instrumentos mais adequados para a entrevista estruturada com crianças vítimas de violência. O procedimento consistiu em verificar nas bases de dados eletrônicas Bireme, INDEXPSI, SciELO, PePSIC, PubMed, Web of Science e PsycINFO, utilizando-se como descritores as palavras NICHD e sexual abuse, para artigos publicados entre os anos de 2000 e 2013. Foram consultados também acervos de livros em universidades. Nas bases de dados relacionadas, foram encontrados 73 artigos, dos quais 47 foram excluídos tendo como critério de exclusão artigos relacionados a outras temáticas de violência que não a sexual, e artigos repetidos, resultando em 26 artigos consultados. Nos acervos de Universidades foram consultados quatro livros nacionais, quatro livros internacionais e uma dissertação de mestrado, resultando em um total de 35 publicações analisadas. O protocolo apresenta-se como um instrumento estruturado, transmitindo informações de qualidade superior àquelas obtidas por entrevistas com menos questões abertas. Como resultado são produzidas respostas mais precisas, com relatos mais detalhados e ricos e com maior número de revelações. (AU).

This article consists of a systematic literature review on best practices regarding investigative interviews of child sexual violence, with emphasis on the NICHD Protocol (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), recognized by the international specialized literature as the most appropriate structured interview for victimized children. The method consisted in checking the electronic databases Bireme, INDEXPSI, SciELO, PePSIC, PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO, using the keywords NICHD and sexual abuse for papers published from 2000 to 2013. Books pertaining to University libraries in Brazil were also consulted. In the database, 73 articles were found, 47 were excluded as they related to other themes other than sexual violence or were repeated, resulting in 26 studies. Four Brazilian books, four North-American ones, and one M.A. thesis were consulted in the University libraries, resulting in a total of 35 publications. The protocol is presented as a structured instrument, which gathers superior information in comparison to interviews with fewer open-ended questions. As a result, more accurate answers are produced, with more detailed and richer accounts providing a higher frequency of disclosures.(AU).

Este artículo consiste en una revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre la escucha y estrategias adecuadas para la investigación de la violencia sexual infantil, con especial énfasis en el Protocolo NICHD (Instituto Nacional de Salud Infantil y Desarrollo Humano), el cual es reconocido y validado como la herramienta más apropiada que entrevistas estructuradas para niños y niñas víctimas de violencia. El procedimiento consistió en la verificación de las siguientes bases de datos electrónicas INDEXPSI Bireme, SciELO, PePSIC, PubMed, Web of Science y PsycINFO, usando como descriptores abuso NICHD y sexual, de los artículos publicados entre 2000 y 2013. También se fueron consultados colecciones de libros en las universidades. En las bases de datos, se encontraron 73 artículos, de los cuales 47 fueron excluidos por estar relacionados con otros temas de la violencia sin ser la sexual, ser repetidos, dando lugar a 26 artículos encontrados. En las colecciones de la universidad se consultó cuatro libros nacionales, cuatro libros e internacionales y una tesis, lo que resulta en 35 publicaciones analizadas. El protocolo se presenta como un instrumento estructurado y transmite información superior a los obtenidos mediante entrevistas a las preguntas menos abiertas. Como resultado son producidas respuestas por lo tanto más precisas, obteniendo relatos más detalladas y con más riqueza en las revelaciones.(AU)

Investigação de suspeita de abuso sexual infantojuvenil: o Protocolo NICHD / Investigation of suspected child sexual abuse: the NICHD protocol / Investigación de sospecha de abuso sexualinfanto juvenil: el protocolo NICHD

O presente artigo consiste em uma revisão sistemática de literatura que se refere à escuta adequada e às estratégias para investigação da violência sexual infantil, com especial ênfase no Protocolo NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), reconhecido pela literatura internacional especializada como um dos instrumentos mais adequados para a entrevista estruturada com crianças vítimas de violência. O procedimento consistiu em verificar nas bases de dados eletrônicas Bireme, INDEXPSI, SciELO, PePSIC, PubMed, Web of Science e PsycINFO, utilizando-se como descritores as palavras NICHD e sexual abuse, para artigos publicados entre os anos de 2000 e 2013. Foram consultados também acervos de livros em universidades. Nas bases de dados relacionadas, foram encontrados 73 artigos, dos quais 47 foram excluídos tendo como critério de exclusão artigos relacionados a outras temáticas de violência que não a sexual, e artigos repetidos, resultando em 26 artigos consultados. Nos acervos de Universidades foram consultados quatro livros nacionais, quatro livros internacionais e uma dissertação de mestrado, resultando em um total de 35 publicações analisadas. O protocolo apresenta-se como um instrumento estruturado, transmitindo informações de qualidade superior àquelas obtidas por entrevistas com menos questões abertas. Como resultado são produzidas respostas mais precisas, com relatos mais detalhados e ricos e com maior número de revelações.

This article consists of a systematic literature review on best practices regarding investigative interviews of child sexual violence, with emphasis on the NICHD Protocol (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), recognized by the international specialized literature as the most appropriate structured interview for victimized children. The method consisted in checking the electronic databases Bireme, INDEXPSI, SciELO, PePSIC, PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO, using the keywords NICHD and sexual abuse for papers published from 2000 to 2013. Books pertaining to University libraries in Brazil were also consulted. In the database, 73 articles were found, 47 were excluded as they related to other themes other than sexual violence or were repeated, resulting in 26 studies. Four Brazilian books, four North-American ones, and one M.A. thesis were consulted in the University libraries, resulting in a total of 35 publications. The protocol is presented as a structured instrument, which gathers superior information in comparison to interviews with fewer open-ended questions. As a result, more accurate answers are produced, with more detailed and richer accounts providing a higher frequency of disclosures.

Este artículo consiste en una revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre la escucha y estrategias adecuadas para la investigación de la violencia sexual infantil, con especial énfasis en el Protocolo NICHD (Instituto Nacional de Salud Infantil y Desarrollo Humano), el cual es reconocido y validado como la herramienta más apropiada que entrevistas estructuradas para niños y niñas víctimas de violencia. El procedimiento consistió en la verificación de las siguientes bases de datos electrónicas INDEXPSI Bireme, SciELO, PePSIC, PubMed, Web of Science y PsycINFO, usando como descriptores abuso NICHD y sexual, de los artículos publicados entre 2000 y 2013. También se fueron consultados colecciones de libros en las universidades. En las bases de datos, se encontraron 73 artículos, de los cuales 47 fueron excluidos por estar relacionados con otros temas de la violencia sin ser la sexual, ser repetidos, dando lugar a 26 artículos encontrados. En las colecciones de la universidad se consultó cuatro libros nacionales, cuatro libros e internacionales y una tesis, lo que resulta en 35 publicaciones analizadas. El protocolo se presenta como un instrumento estructurado y transmite información superior a los obtenidos mediante entrevistas a las preguntas menos abiertas. Como resultado son producidas respuestas por lo tanto más precisas, obteniendo relatos más detalladas y con más riqueza en las revelaciones.