T06-P-06 Quality of the interview and the reliability of accounts of presumably sexually-abused minors

Abstract

Objects The present study aims at verifying the quality of interviews carried out by different professional figures on closed hearings of presumably abused minors. Moreover, we tried to find a relationship between the quality of the interview and the efficacy of Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) for the assessment of reliability. Materials and method 19 interviews of closed hearings of supposed sexually-abused minors have been analysed. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed in full. Transcripts were then analysed to verify how they satisfied the requirements for the Cognitive Interview and the Step-Wise Interview. A technique for content analysis applied to testimony and hearing of under-age victims (CBCA) was then performed on the transcripts. All evaluations were carried out by three independent judges specifically trained in using this instrument. Interviewers were classified on the basis of their professions and, therefore, on the basis of their official studying and professional profile. Results Results showed a low compliance with international protocols of interviews. When interviews were carried out in conformity to protocols suggested in the specialised literature, results showed a greater inter-rater's agreement in CBCA scores. Discussion In this study, the interviewers’professional qualifications do not seem to guarantee the necessary quality of interview according to the criteria for CI and Step Wise Interview.