Encouraging Disclosure of Abuse Isn’t Enough

An important study from 2016 undercuts some of the common assumptions underlying public policy in child abuse cases. The researchers surveyed 301 adult survivors of abuse, analyzing whether they disclosed the abuse, whether the abuse stopped after the disclosure, and what symptoms of depression the suits exhibited. The findings were striking. The vast majority of the survivors (73.4%) never disclosed the abuse while it was occurring. Of the remaining participants, only 8.3% reported that the abuse stopped after the disclosure, while 18.3% said it continued.  

The striking part of the study was comparison of the different groups’ scores on a common depression inventory. The participants who never disclosed the abuse and those whose abuse ended after their disclosure had similar levels of depression symptoms. The third group, however, those who disclosed the abuse but it continued, reported significantly higher levels of depression and PTSD symptoms. As the study’s authors noted, ”[G]iven continually accumulating research in this area, we can say with some certainty that when disclosure is met with an insufficient response it may be associated with serious negative repercussions for child survivors and potentially contribute to higher levels of later adult symptomatology.”

This study has important ramifications for public policy issues such as mandated reporting laws. While we need to know what is happening to children, continually doubling down on disclosure requirements will not help abused children.  Reporting to law enforcement or child protection authorities is a good first step.  But policemen and forensic case workers are not therapists. They cannot provide mental health care, and they cannot promise that the system will vindicate the disclosure.  Public policy needs to address what happens after a child’s disclosure if we are to truly protect the whole child.