Forensic Interviews for Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: An Investigation into the Effects of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Stress Biomarkers
Forensic Interviews for Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: An Investigation into the Effects of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Stress Biomarkers
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DOI：
10.1080/10538712.2015.1088916
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发表时间：
2015-11-17
影响因子：
1.9
通讯作者：
Gulick, Elsie E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Krause-Parello, Cheryl A.;Gulick, Elsie E.
“治疗动物支持儿童项目”建议，在针对儿童性侵指控的法医采访中使用治疗动物，以帮助缓解儿童在法医采访过程中的不适。基于这一建议，本研究将一只经过认证的治疗犬纳入儿童性虐待指控的法医访谈过程。本研究调查了因涉嫌儿童性侵而接受调查的儿童（N=42），在结合动物辅助干预与对照条件的法医采访现象（例如，强烈抗议）的影响下，唾液皮质醇、免疫球蛋白A、血压和心率的变化。结果表明，经历过性接触和/或猥亵行为的对照组（n=23）的心率值明显高于经历过加重性侵犯的对照组（n=19），而干预组的心率值无差异（n=19）。结果表明，当孩子们披露性虐待的细节时，狗在法医采访中的存在可能起到了缓冲或保护作用。在干预组中，与对照组相比，儿童的HR在法医访谈开始时较低。在法医面谈期间，发现有一个经过认证的训犬师团队对压力生理测量的影响，对儿童、儿童福利人员和临床治疗师具有现实价值。建议将动物辅助干预扩展到面临其他类型创伤的儿童和性虐待幸存者的治疗方案。
The use of therapy animals during forensic interviews for child sexual abuse allegations is a recommendation by the Therapy Animals Supporting Kids Program to help ease children's discomfort during the forensic interview process. Based on this recommendation, this study incorporated a certified therapy canine into the forensic interview process for child sexual abuse allegations. This study investigated changes in salivary cortisol, immunoglobulin A, blood pressure, and heart rate as a result of forensic interview phenomenon (e.g., outcry) incorporating animal-assisted intervention versus a control condition in children (N=42) interviewed for alleged child sexual abuse. The results supported significantly greater heart rate values for the control group (n=23) who experienced sexual contact and/or indecency than the experience of aggravated sexual assault compared to no difference in HR for the intervention group (n=19). The results suggest that the presence of the canine in the forensic interview may have acted as a buffer or safeguard for the children when disclosing details of sexual abuse. In the intervention group, children's HR was lower at the start of the forensic interview compared to the control group. Finding an effect of having a certified handler-canine team available during the forensic interview on physiological measures of stress has real-world value for children, child welfare personnel, and clinical therapists. It is suggested that animal-assisted intervention be expanded to children facing other types of trauma and to treatment programs for child survivors of sexual abuse.