The effect of support by interviewers on children’s collaboration during investigative interviews
Several factors may influence the dynamics of investigative interviews conducted with children who are suspected victims of sexual abuse. This study examines the effect of the characteristics of the child, the nature of the sexual abuse, and support by the interviewer on children’s collaboration. A total of 90 interviews conducted by police officers with children aged between four and 13 years old were transcribed and analyzed using grids to measure the support and non-support offered by interviewers and the cooperation or reluctance expressed by the children. Results from MANOVA indicate that interviewers behave similarly regardless of the age of the child and that young children cooperate significantly less than pre-teens. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that the support offered by the interviewer is the most important factor associated with both cooperation and resistance on the part of the child. The level of interviewer support is an even better predictor of children’s resistance than the characteristics of the children or of the sexual abuse. The discussion underlines the importance of interviewer support in helping children collaborate when they are discussing sexual abuse.