Suppositional Wh-Questions About Perceptions, Conversations, and actions are More Productive than Paired Yes-No Questions when Questioning Maltreated Children

Forensic interviewers are taught to pair yes–no questions with open-ended requests for recall in order to reduce the likelihood that they will be misled by false “yes” responses. However, yes–no questions may elicit false “no” responses. Questioning 112 6- to 11-year-old maltreated children about three innocuous events (outside activities, yesterday, last birthday), this study compared the productivity of paired yes–no questions about perceptions, conversations, and actions involving the hands and mouth (e.g., “Did you say anything?”) with wh-questions (e.g., “What did you say?”). The wh-questions presupposed that children had content to provide, but did not specify that content. Children were twice as likely to deny content and half as likely to provide novel information when interviewers asked them yes–no questions. Younger children were more inclined than older children to deny content and give unelaborated “yes” responses. The results support further research into the potential for suppositional wh-questions to increase child witnesses’ productivity.

Ethnic Disparities and the Psychological Trauma of Maltreated Children: Evidence from Three Multi-ethnic Counties in China

This study aims to discuss the effect of ethnicity on child maltreatment trauma in China and to contribute to international knowledge on the quality of life of children. The data come from a survey of 1763 rural children (Mage = 12.34, 50.0% boys) in three multi-ethnic counties in western China that was conducted from November 2019 to January 2020 with the modified versions of the “Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire” Scale. There are three important findings of this study. First, child maltreatment is significantly related to child depression in China. The depression score and rate of severe depression symptoms (SDS) are 2.09 times and 3.82 times higher, respectively, for maltreated children than children without maltreatment. Second, the effects of maltreatment on child depression differ significantly among the ethnic groups. The negative effect of maltreatment is most influential among the Han population and least influential among the Zhuang population. Third, ethnic disparities are also found in the effects of the influencing factors on child depression. The effect of intergenerational relationships on child depression is significant only in the Han and Tibetan populations, while the negative effect of peer support is found only among Han, Tibetan, and Miao children. Based on the confirmation of ethnic disparities in trauma due to maltreatment, this study suggests that it is necessary to establish a high-quality psychological intervention system in China’s multi-ethnic counties.

Child Maltreatment and Risk of Developing Panic Symptoms among Adolescent Aged 11-17-Year-old in Karachi, Pakistan: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background The effect of childhood maltreatment in the developmental pathway of panic symptoms was not well documented specifically in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between child maltreatment and the risk of developing Panic symptoms among adolescents aged 11–17 years in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods The sample of this study comprised of 800 adolescents aged 11–17 years from 32 systematically selected urban and peri-urban clusters of Karachi. The symptoms of panic (significant somatic symptoms) were assessed using a validated tool “SCARED” and the association between childhood maltreatment and panic symptoms was measured using a cox-proportional algorithm. Results Sixty-three percent of severely maltreated children developed Panic symptoms compared to nineteen percent of non-maltreated children. Severely maltreated Female children had approximately four times (95% CI: 2.11–6.35) the risk of panic symptoms and severely maltreated male children were three times (95% CI: 2.27–5.99) more likely to develop panic symptoms. Conclusion The current study provided evidence that maltreated children are at increased risk of developing panic symptoms later in adolescence. Interventions and policies to reduce childhood maltreatment and professional support and counseling to the victims may be an effective strategy to reduce the burden of panic symptoms to some extent.