TY - JOUR PY - 2024// TI - Forensic interviewers' difficulty with the birthday narrative JO - Child abuse and neglect A1 - Wylie, Breanne E. A1 - Henderson, Hayden M. A1 - Lundon, Georgia M. A1 - Lyon, Thomas D. SP - e106752 EP - e106752 VL - 152 IS - N2 - 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).

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).

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.

CONCLUSIONS: Interviewers' skepticism about the birthday narrative may be due to suboptimal questioning and sensitivity to occasional failures and negative information.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0145-2134 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106752 ID - ref1 ER -