Black children and other children of color are less likely to be believed when reporting sexual violence and are considered less credible by jurors. But in multidisciplinary team settings, we pride ourselves on openly discussing all aspects of a case and coming into a case neutrally and allowing the disclosure and any corroborating evidence to determine the future direction of a case. But are we overconfident in these factors being enough to avoid disparate substantiation rates in child sexual abuse cases? Dr. Maggie Stevenson joins us to talk about how race affects whether children who disclose sexual abuse are seen as credible.

Topics in this episode:

• 1:43 – Origin story
• 5:06 – Previous research
• 7:31 – Study design
• 10:35 – Examining a difficult topic
• 14:57 – Hypotheses
• 20:06 – Findings
• 23:26 – Advice for child abuse professionals
• 28:43 – Policy implications
• 31:27 – A small test of change
• 33:05 – Next research
• 37:08 – For more information

Links:

Margaret (Maggie) C. Stevenson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, Kenyon College

“When Disclosure Fails to Substantiate Abuse: Child and Perpetrator Race Predict Child Sexual Abuse Substantiation,” by Margaret C. Stevenson and Molly A. Rivers, Child Maltreatment 2023, Vol. 28, Issue 4. DOI: 10.1177/10775595231157729

Bette L. Bottoms, Ph.D.

The Legacy of Racism for Children: Psychology, Law, and Public Policy, edited by Margaret C. Stevenson, Bette L. Bottoms, and Kelly C. Burke (Oxford University Press, 2020)

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century: Psychological Science and the Law, (Oxford University Press, 2018)

“Effects of victim and defendant race on jurors’ decisions in child sexual abuse cases,” Bette L. Bottoms, Suzanne L. Davis, Michelle A. Epstein, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 34, Issue 1. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02535.x

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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