Taterleben und Mitteilungsprozesse bei sexuellem Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen

This applied study anticipates finding multidimensional configurations of features in correct witness statements. Specific patterns of both general behaviour and disclosure behaviour in victims of child sex abuse (CSA), which could be indicators of CSA in forensic settings, do not exist. This work pursues a process model in which delays in disclosure are in interplay with the dynamics of how witnesses experience the events described. In this interdependency we can potentially find diagnostic indicators that can be used in credibility assessment. An explorative empirical analysis of criminal case files was conducted. Multivariate methods were used to analyse the differences between credible and doubtful statements, and notable differences were found. The results suggest that a specific pattern of the cognitive, emotional and behavioural aspects of the experience is of diagnostic value in credibility assessment.