Dog Presence and Childrens' Stress During Forensic Interviews for Child Abuse

虐待儿童法医访谈期间狗的存在和儿童的压力

• 批准号: 8205256
• 负责人: REBECCA Ann JOHNSON
• 金额: $ 7.58万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-12-01 至 2013-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8205256
• 关键词: Address; Age; Canis familiaris; Child; Child Abuse; Child Advocacy; Control Groups; Crime; Data; Distress; Family; Forensic Medicine; Fright; Goals; Intervention; Interview; Investigation; Legal; Measures; Missouri; Modeling; Outcome; Ozarks; Participant; Perception; Physiological; Process; Protocols documentation; Qualitative Research; Randomized; Recruitment Activity; Reporting; Research Personnel; Services; Site; Skin Temperature; Stress; Testing; Training; United States Dept. of Health and Human Services; child protective service; design; disability; experience; maltreatment; meetings; perpetrators; programs; psychologic; psychological distress

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall aim of the study is to test the effects of having a specially trained service dog present with children undergoing forensic interviews for child abuse and to ascertain the children's perception of having the dog present. The goal is to identify to what extent children who have the dog present with them during the interview have less fear and physiological reactivity (measured by skin temperature) than children exposed to the usual Standard of Practice. A further goal is to identify whether having the dog present facilitates the interview, lessening the need for second or third interviews. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reported that in the year 2007, more than 3.5 million children underwent Child Protective Service investigations or assessments for abuse (DHHS, 2009). The large numbers of children experiencing potential psychological disability resulting from maltreatment and the legal processes necessary to prosecute perpetrators underscores the need to identify interventions to alleviate children's distress. For these children, there may be a double jeopardy effect in which the child is abused and then must suffer additional psychological distress while undergoing investigation into the alleged crime. A two-year study is proposed using a two-group randomized, repeated measures design in children ages 4-17 who are undergoing forensic interviews for child abuse in Mid-Missouri. The treatment group will interact with a trained service dog before undergoing the forensic interview and be accompanied by the dog during the interview. We will recruit participants from the Ozark Foothills Child Advocacy Center and implement the protocol in the 3 sites in which it conducts forensic interviews. We will collect data with all participants at baseline, 15 minutes later (control group) or immediately aftr interacting with the dog (treatment group), and when the forensic interview is finished. Deliverables from the study include the service dog protocol, and potential benefits to children who participate. The protocol will be made available to investigators and child advocacy groups that would like to begin a similar service dog program. We hope the Missouri program will be a model for programs throughout the U.S. It will meet a need among families with abused children who will experience forensic interviews. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The overall aim of the study is to test the effects of having a specially trained service dog present with children during forensic interviews for child abuse on stress (skin temperature) and fear and to ascertain the children's perception of having the dog present. The goal is to identify to what extent children who have the dog present with them during the interview have less fear and physiological reactivity (measured by skin temperature) than children exposed to the usual Standard of Practice. A further goal is the translational outcome of identifying whether having the dog present facilitates the interview, lessening the need for second or third interviews.

描述（由申请人提供）：这项研究的总体目的是测试一只受过特殊训练的服务犬在接受虐待儿童的法医采访时的效果，并确定儿童对有狗在场的看法。目的是确定在多大程度上，在采访中有狗在场的儿童比暴露在通常的实践标准下的儿童更少恐惧和生理反应（通过皮肤温度测量）。进一步的目标是确定有狗在场是否有助于面试，减少第二次或第三次面试的需要。美国卫生与公众服务部报告说，2007年，超过350万儿童接受了儿童保护服务机构的虐待调查或评估（DHHS， 2009年）。大量儿童由于受到虐待而可能出现心理残疾，而起诉肇事者所需的法律程序突出表明，有必要确定干预措施，以减轻儿童的痛苦。对于这些孩子来说，可能会有一个