@article{ref1,
title="Forensic interviewers' difficulty with the birthday narrative",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2024",
author="Wylie, Breanne E. and Henderson, Hayden M. and Lundon, Georgia M. and Lyon, Thomas D.",
volume="152",
number="",
pages="e106752-e106752",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Narrative practice increases children's productivity in forensic interviews, and one recommended topic is the child's last birthday, though interviewers have raised concerns about its productivity.   STUDY 1 OBJECTIVE: Study 1 surveyed forensic interviewers' use of and attitudes about the birthday narrative.   PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants included 170 forensic interviewers who subscribed to a webinar promoting use of the birthday narrative (M(age) = 43 years, SD = 10.2, 94 % female). <br><br>RESULTS: Over half (55 %) of interviewers reported that they rarely/never asked about children's birthdays, and non-users were especially likely to view the birthday narrative as never/rarely productive. Although interviewers viewed memory difficulties as more likely to occur with the birthday narrative than other practice topics (the child's likes, the child's day), non-users did not view memory difficulties, reluctance, generic reports, or religious objections as especially problematic. Open-ended responses identified negative experiences with the birthday as an additional concern, and interviewers' recommended wording of the prompts suggested suboptimal questioning strategies.   STUDY 2   OBJECTIVE: Study 2 assessed the use of the birthday narrative in forensic interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample included 350 forensic interviews with 4- to 12-year-old children (M(age) = 8.85, SD = 2.59). <br><br>RESULTS: Only 4 % of children failed to recall substantive information if interviewers persisted, though another 11 % failed when interviewers stopped persisting. Invitations were more effective than other question types, especially among older children. 21 % of children mentioned a negative detail during their narrative. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Interviewers' skepticism about the birthday narrative may be due to suboptimal questioning and sensitivity to occasional failures and negative information.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106752",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106752"
}