Predicting the disclosure of child sexual abuse: A meta-analytic review

Objective. Effective identification, verification, and treatment of child sexual abuse often hinge on a disclosure statement from the victim in the absence of corroborating evidence. The disclosure of abuse by some children,... [ view full abstract ]

Objective. Effective identification, verification, and treatment of child sexual abuse often hinge on a disclosure statement from the victim in the absence of corroborating evidence. The disclosure of abuse by some children, however, can be hindered by a host of developmental, socioemotional, and contextual barriers, thus placing child safety and wellbeing at risk. The current study provides a meta-analysis of available research investigating the extent to which a range of variables empirically predict the likelihood of child sexual abuse disclosure and potential moderators of those associations.

Method. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and EBM Reviews for published and unpublished child sexual abuse disclosure studies through to February 2015. Studies were included for meta-analysis if they: involved children, adolescents, or adults who may have experienced sexual abuse in childhood; assessed whether the individual had disclosed the abuse; examined one or more predictors of disclosure; had a statistic that could be transformed into an effect size; and were available in English. Effect size calculations were based on random effects models.

Results. Fifty-six independent samples with 41,298 participants provided 109 estimates of effect sizes. Analyses revealed that sexual abuse disclosure was more likely when: victims were older in age (OR = 1.73; CI: 1.10-2.71) and female (OR = 1.55; CI: 1.31-1.84); perpetrators were extrafamilial in relation (OR = 1.67; CI: 1.08-2.57); abuse was less severe (OR = 1.42; CI: 1.20-1.67); and nonoffending caregivers responded supportively (OR = 1.73; CI: 1.08-2.75).

Conclusion. Younger age at assessment, male gender, close relationship with the perpetrator, more severe abuse, and unsupportive caregiver response appear to be significant impediments to sexual abuse disclosure in childhood. Important implications for forensic investigation, clinical intervention, and future research are highlighted.