Jack Annon provides guidelines for interviewing and evaluating child victims of sexual assault (Annon, 1994). The guidelines are divided into general, interview, and evaluation sections (Interviewing Children).
General Section (Interviewing Children)
Annon (1994) recommends conducting the assessment early after the child has provided the first statement of abuse. Early assessment improves the credibility and validity of the information collected since the assault is still fresh in the child’s mind and has not been coerced to give a different account, leading to an accurate and comprehensive account of the problem. Besides, the assessor should avoid pre-conceived impressions in examining the child victim of sexual abuse to enhance the objectivity of the assessment process (Annon, 1994). Rocchio (2020) observes that it is vital for the psychologist to show empathy and acceptance to the victim to eliminate incidences of negative perceptions about the victim.
Interview section
The interview should be conducted when the child is alone to maintain the confidentiality of the assessment and reduce the fear of repercussions in the child (Annon, 1994). Also, the assessor should honor the child’s wishes for not discussing some specific aspects of the assault, which may be traumatizing. Respecting the victim’s wishes is crucial in developing trust and confidence in the interview process. Hence, leading to comprehensive disclosure of the required information (Rocchio, 2020) (Interviewing Children).
Evaluation Section
The guideline on victim evaluation requires forensic examiners to identify the internal and external consistency of the child’s behavior and account of the assault (Annon, 1994). These two guidelines are crucial in determining the truth about the assault. For instance, external consistency assesses the child’s account of the assault to others, like family members and the public (Voogt et al., 2019).
On the other hand, internal consistency assessment determines the context of the child’s account of the problem, such as its validity and the truth within it, including identifying whether the flow of events leading to the assault and after the assault are consistent (Voogt et al., 2019). Thus, the interview and evaluation guidelines are necessary for a comprehensive, accurate, and less invasive assessment of the child victim.
References
Annon, J. S. (1994). Recommended guidelines for interviewing children in case of alleged sexual abuse. IPT Journal, 6. http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume6/j6_3_2.htm
Rocchio, L. M. (2020). Ethical and professional considerations in the forensic assessment of complex trauma and dissociation. Psychological Injury and Law, 13(2), 124-134.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-020-09384-9
Voogt, A., Klettke, B., & Crossman, A. (2019). Measurement of victim credibility in child sexual assault cases: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 20(1), 51-66.https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016683460
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