NCJ Number
230477
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 171-179
Date Published
May 2010
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study explored the effects of drawing on the richness of forensic accounts made by alleged victims of child sexual abuse.
Abstract
This study was designed to explore the effects of event drawing during investigative interviews on the richness of the accounts made by children. The sample included 125 children aged 4 to 14 years, alleged victims of sexual abuse. The children were first interviewed with open-ended invitations before they were randomly assigned into one of two interview conditions: with (n = 69) or without (n = 56) event drawing, and then reinterviewed. Children in the drawing group disclosed more free recall information about the abusive events than children in the comparison group, including central details about people, actions, time, and location of the incidents. The effect of drawing was evident regardless of child's age, gender, type of abuse, and time delay. These findings suggest that event drawing, as used in this study, can enhance children's forensic statements in child abuse investigations. Table and references (Published Abstract)