Oral Presentation: Effects of Socio-Emotionally Supporting Questioning Techniques in Alleged Cases of Physical Maltreatment of Adolescents

Title: Effects of Socio-Emotionally Supporting Questioning Techniques in Alleged Cases of Physical Maltreatment of Adolescents

Abstract:

When interviewing minors in cases of alleged sexual or physical abuse, it is of utmost importance that interviewers adapt a supportive and non-suggestive style in order to reduce interviewees’ anxiety while increasing their accuracy. The R‑NICHD was developed to provide interviewers with questioning techniques that were designed for this purpose. Even though the R­‑NICHD has been extensively examined, there is a lack of research regarding its German translation, interviewees’ perspective on its individual questioning techniques, and its effect on individuals who have not experienced abuse. This study’s objective was to investigate these questions with adolescents aged 14 to 17 through an online survey. Using vignettes, participants (N = 387) were assigned to a hypothetically maltreated and a hypothetically not maltreated condition and asked to rate 50 single questioning techniques from the German R‑NICHD. To control for potential systematic influence, item parameters from a mixed Rasch model were investigated, revealing several questioning techniques that did not have the desired effect on participants. Additionally, two classes of respondents were found which showed different response styles, an extreme style and a moderate style. Taking together results from these two classes as well as the two conditions, the results were comparable with previous findings with adult participants.