Thomas D. Lyon (University of Southern California Gould School of Law), Breanne Wylie (Brock University), and Zsofia Szojka (University of London) recently posted to SSRN their paper, Understanding Child Sexual Abuse Disclosures, Delays, and Denials. 

Here is the abstract:

We discuss factors that influence the likelihood of delayed disclosure and denial in abused children, examining population surveys, studies of children questioned about abuse, and studies questioning offenders about grooming behaviors.

The child’s closeness to the suspect and the supportiveness of the child’s family are important factors.

With respect to interview characteristics that influence disclosure, we stress the importance of prior disclosures, whether the child is being asked about abuse for the first time, and characteristics of the interview, including supportiveness and the questions asked.

In the final section, we criticize the approach taken by the New Jersey Supreme Court in J.L.G. (2018), in which the court severely rejected expert testimony explaining to juries why abused children might delay disclosure and at some point deny abuse.

We discuss how the court focused on overall percentages of children who delay and deny, rather than the factors that influence abused children’s reluctance, and how the court overlooked selection biases that lead to underestimation of the likelihood that abused children will deny abuse.

Lyon, Thomas D. and Wylie, Breanne and Szojka, Zsofia, Understanding Child Sexual Abuse Disclosures, Delays, and Denials (January 21, 2025). USC Law Legal Studies Paper No. 2505, Child sexual abuse: Disclosure, delay, and denial (2d Ed., in press). Eds. Lamb, Hershkowitz, and Pipe. Routledge

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