Inquiry on Forensic Interviewer Accommodation of Non-/Partial Disclosure
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INQUIRY ON FORENSIC INTERVIEWER ACCOMMODATION OF NON-/PARTIAL DISCLOSURE BY EMILY ATHENA LUX DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Emeritus Professor Barry Ackerson, Chair Professor Teresa Ostler Teaching Professor Janet Carter-Black Research Associate Professor Ted Cross Research Assistant Professor Betsy Goulet, University of Illinois at Springfield ABSTRACT Children who have experienced trauma, have contact with child protective services, and/or who have experienced sexual abuse could have potentially impairments in their ability to articulate clear details about any sexual abuse they endured. Forensic interviewers who collect information from these children are in unique situations, balancing the need to elicit accurate and sufficient testimony to protect sexually abused children while not suggestively coercing a statement. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how forensic interviewers use interviewing protocols, training on protocol implementation, and multidisciplinary teams when interviewing non-/partial disclosure in children who are suspected of experiencing sexual abuse. Thirty-six, face-to-face, semi structured interviews were conducted with forensic interviewers who were employed by Children’s Advocacy Centers across the state of Illinois. Qualitative description data analysis was applied to the 36 transcripts, and field notes and memos were used to triangulate findings. The ecological theory was used to situate micro, mezzo, and macro factors affecting dynamics and decision-making processes in cases of non-/partial disclosure in alleged cases of child sexual abuse. This study yielded three major findings. First, forensic interviewers were sincere in their attempts to conduct a neutral forensic interview, while advocating for the child; second, role conflict within dual role forensic interviewers potentially resulted in unbiased interviewing techniques; and third, any dynamic, positive or negative, that influenced the forensic interviewer, naturally affected the quality of the interview. This study is instrumental in protecting children from further abuse by providing forensic interviewers with refined insight, as well as improved training and MDT approaches regarding extracting sufficient details to prevent reunification, reabuse, and recidivism. ii Dedicated with love to Dr. Janet Carter-Black. You mentored me, mothered me, and inspired me. You held my hand and my heart when I was lost. You walked me through my darkest nights. It is my privilege to honor you in my light. In deep gratitude, Dr. Emily A. Lux iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation was a labor of love and had incredible personal meaning to me. I’d like thank just a handful of many who helped me achieve what until today felt truly impossible. There is literally no way this dissertation could have been completed without the guidance, support, and expertise of my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Barry Ackerson. Our weekly meetings, your constant encouragement, and your constructive feedback help make this dream possible for me. In addition to Barry, I’d also like to thank my other committee members, Dr. Terry Ostler, Dr. Jan Carter-Black, Dr. Ted Cross, and Dr. Betsey Goulet. What a privilege to journey with you all, to lean on your knowledge and graciousness, and to create this personally vulnerable and milestone manuscript with your positivity and light. I’d also like to thank the PhD Directors, Dr. Min Zhan, Dr. Barry Ackerson, and Dr. Chi- Fang Wu for holding me accountable when I wanted to quit, for helping me meet my end goal, and for pushing me when I needed it. I could not have achieved this without you. Another special thanks to the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illnois administrators, Billie Larkin, Cara Vock, and Kim Mangiaracino, for supporting my research and for allowing me access to the your dedicated and sincere forensic interviewers. I was humbled to partner with you in our shared mission to protect and seek justice for our children. To my research lab, Taylor Arnold, Brianna Boynton, Alyssa Daly, Sam Dudek, Makaila Lozano, Jenna Mathews, Alexandra Nambo, Jailene Roman, Jessie Saban, Stephanie Santo, Caitlyn Schneeman, and Darya Shahgheibi, thank you for the laughs, your hard work, and your genuine efforts in helping me realizing my goal in finishing this huge dissertation. It truly took a village, from my PhD friends (now family), to my church home, to my two favorite Lux boys, and everyone in between… Thank you! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ....................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: SIGNIFICANCE, STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM, AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2: DESCRIPTION OF CONTEXT, LITERATURE REVIEW, AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................ 39 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 75 CHAPTER 4: MICRO LEVEL THEMES ................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER 5: MEZZO LEVEL THEMES ................................................................................. 183 CHAPTER 6: MACRO LEVEL THEMES ................................................................................ 237 CHAPTER 7: DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 277 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 314 APPENDIX A: PROPOSED CONSENT FORM ...................................................................... 355 APPENDIX B: REVISED CONSENT FORM .......................................................................... 359 APPENDIX C: PROPOSED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ........................................................ 364 APPENDIX D: PILOT STUDY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ................................................... 368 APPENDIX E: REVISED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ............................................................ 369 APPENDIX F: FIELD NOTES QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................. 370 APPENDIX G: ADVERTISING FLIER .................................................................................... 371 APPENDIX H: EMAIL FROM THE COORDINATOR OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING ................................................................................................................................. 373 APPENDIX I: SECOND CALL EMAIL ................................................................................... 374 APPENDIX J: EMAIL ATTACHMENTS ................................................................................. 375 APPENDIX K: DEMOGRAPHICS ........................................................................................... 377 APPENDIX L: IRB APPROVAL LETTERS ............................................................................ 382 v PREFACE Background Before diving into the chapters of this dissertation, I would first like to explicitly disclose and examine any biases I might have in this journey of my research. I must admit that the same passion that has drawn me to the topic of non-/partial disclosure in alleged cases of child sexual abuse stem from my own personal, childhood experiences. As someone who had difficulty in articulating a sufficient testimony during my initial contact with the child welfare system, I believe that I, as an author and researcher, bring many insights to the problem, and quite honestly, to even recognizing the issue as a concern that needs to be addressed, regardless of the barriers in methodological research and in practical implementation. However, I am burdened by my own hypothesis about the effectiveness of the child welfare system in handling these types of vulnerabilities, and want to air these concerns before embarking on my research adventure. My mother and I had both suffered abuse from my father. When I was in junior high school, the Missouri Department of Family Services (DFS) began servicing our family after I disclosed our family abuse to a pastor at a summer church camp. After our family was reunified, we experienced recidivism back into the child welfare system while I was in high school. The first time around when I was a child, my father’s abuse seemed to be an issue of his own compulsion; however, the second time around seemed to be out of cruel revenge for me telling our secret and getting him in trouble. When I was 17, I told my high school counselor of the reabuse, worried about the retraumatization of the child welfare system itself, but also incredibly scared for my own safety. DFS intervened again, but this time I had ample concrete memories and could advocate for myself. In that sense, it was an ironic relief to me that my father had reabused me. 1 When I was 13, I hadn’t initially confided in my pastor with the intention of making “allegations.” I wasn’t even entirely sure of all the details of the abuse, as it occurred when I was pre-school aged. I told because I was tired of these secrets eating away at me. I needed relief,