Factors associated with delayed disclosure of child sexual abuse: A focus on the victim's having been led to perform sexual acts on the perpetrator

Abstract

BackgroundContextual variables associated with children's willingness to disclose sexual abuse have been identified in previous studies, but further investigation is needed to better understand delayed disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA). ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the factors associated with the risk of delayed disclosure of CSA. More specifically, it focused on a factor that has rarely, if ever, been looked into: the fact that some victims are led to perform sexual acts on the perpetrator. Participants and settingA content analysis was performed on 68 transcripts of investigative interviews with CSA victims aged 4 to 12 years old. MethodsBased on our content analysis, the time between the first abuse and the first disclosure was determined for each victim. The age and gender of the victim, the victim's relationship with the perpetrator, the age of the perpetrator, the frequency and severity of the abuse, and whether or not the victim mentioned having performed sexual acts on the perpetrator were also coded. ResultsChi-square analyses showed that the risk of delayed disclosure was associated with the victim's having performed, or not performed, sexual acts on the perpetrator (χ2 = 16.327, p < 0.001), the victim's relationship with the perpetrator (χ2 = 10.013, p = 0.002), and the frequency of the abuse (χ2 = 11.617, p < 0.001). ConclusionOur study is the first to demonstrate that having been led to sexually touch the perpetrator is associated with delayed disclosure of CSA.