Factors Affecting Disclosure Among Israeli Children in Residential Care Due to Domestic Violence

• NCJ Number: 247104
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 38 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2014 Pages: 618-626
• Author(s): Rachel Lev-Wiesel; Ruth Gottfried; Zvi Eisikovits; Maya First
• Date Published: April 2014
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on an analysis of 286 Israeli children (Hebrew and Arabic speaking) ages 12-17 who had suffered one of various types of abuse and neglect, this study identified self-reported factors that discouraged or encouraged disclosure of the maltreatment, as well as the children's preference for a confidant for the disclosure.

Abstract

Three types of factors facilitated disclosure of the maltreatment: moral, external initiatives, and intolerable pain. The moral factor is related to children's desire for social justice, which is achieved by the expectation that the perpetrator of maltreatment will be held to account and be prevented from maltreating others. External initiatives include providing a safe place for children to talk to someone about the maltreatment. The third factor that encourages disclosure is the desperation for help due to the distress caused by the maltreatment. Factors that discouraged disclosure of maltreatment was emotional restraints, fear of losing social support and resources, and uncertainty about who and to whom to disclose the maltreatment. Regarding preferences for whom to disclose the maltreatment, nuclear family members (parents or siblings) were mentioned most often. They were reluctant to disclose their maltreatment to professionals, e.g., social workers, doctors, and teachers. Compared to Jewish children, Arab children reported higher levels of exposure to all forms of child abuse. This may be explained by different culture-specific parenting styles in minority cultures; however, Jewish children were more reluctant to disclose their maltreatment than Arab children, perhaps because of the fear of being blamed for bringing shame on the family. Regarding gender, boys in residential care reported the same rates of all forms of abuse as girls. The authors advise that policymakers and health professionals focus on innovative ways of ensuring that social services address children's disclosure concerns. 3 tables and 77 references