Children's expressed emotions when disclosing maltreatment.
OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to examine children's expressed emotions when they disclose maltreatment. Little scientific research exists on this topic, and yet children's emotional expressions at disclosure may inform psychological theory and play a crucial role in legal determinations.


METHODS
One hundred and twenty-four videotaped forensic interviews were coded for children's emotional displays. In addition, children's trauma-related symptoms (depression, dissociation, and PTSD) and global adaptive functioning were assessed, and abuse type and frequency were documented.


RESULTS
Most children in the sample evinced neutral emotion during disclosure. However, stronger negative reactions were linked to indices of psychopathology. Number of abuse experiences was inversely related to negative emotional displays.


CONCLUSIONS
Fact finders may profit from knowing that maltreated children do not necessarily cry or display strong emotion when disclosing maltreatment experiences. Nevertheless, predictors of greater negative affect at disclosure can be identified: fewer abuse experiences; higher global adaptive functioning; and for sexually abused children, greater dissociative tendencies.


CONCLUSIONS
Although further research is needed, practitioners should consider that children who disclose abuse may display relatively neutral affect despite having experienced maltreatment.
Sayfan
Liat
L
Department of Psychology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Mitchell
Emilie B
EB
Goodman
Gail S
GS
Eisen
Mitchell L
ML
Qin
Jianjian
J
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014743:Videotape Recording