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Delayed disclosure and disrupted communication during forensic investigation of child sexual abuse: a study of 47 corroborated cases
Author(s) -
Sjöberg RL,
Lindblad F
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2002.tb02839.x
Subject(s) - sexual abuse , medicine , child sexual abuse , confession (law) , child abuse , relevance (law) , psychiatry , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , poison control , medical emergency , political science , law
Aim : To study factors of relevance for the understanding of disclosure of child sexual abuse. Methods : Cases from a Swedish district court involving 47 children in which allegations of child sexual abuse had been corroborated by a confession from the defendant were studied. Results : Delayed disclosure was related to a close relationship with the perpetrator and young age at the first experience of abuse. Disrupted communication during the police interview was related to less violent abuse. Conclusion : The findings highlight the importance of social factors in children's disclosure of sexual abuse.