The effect of emotional expression during the disclosure of sexual abuse on the perceived credibility of the CSA victims

Gabriela Mikulášková,Slávka Karkošková,Dominik Jozefík

doi:10.31577/cas.2021.03.589

Abstract

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Highlights

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the most serious and widespread socio-pathological phenomena that negatively affects the lives of many children (Goldman & Padayachi, 2000; Karkošková & Ropovik, 2018)
The study examined the effect of four different emotional expressions conveyed by a child during the disclosure of sexual abuse on the perceived credibility of the CSA victim
The results of the statistical analysis suggest that the perceived credibility of the child decreases significantly only if the disclosure is accompanied by a positive emotional expression

Summary

Introduction

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the most serious and widespread socio-pathological phenomena that negatively affects the lives of many children (Goldman & Padayachi, 2000; Karkošková & Ropovik, 2018). Victims who disclose a history of sexual abuse are often questioned and are not perceived as credible, as a result of which child victims continue to live with persistent serious negative consequences and mental health problems and are often denied access to the treatment they need. According to child sexual abuse investigators, the victim's emotional expression during the disclosure is the second most common indicator of his or her credibility (Kaufmann et al, 2003; Wessel et al, 2015). When conceptualizing the relationship between the credibility and the emotional expression of the CSA victim, it is necessary to reflect the finding that people generally have certain expectations regarding emotional responses to victimization (Ask & Landström, 2010)

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion