ABSTRACT
Forensic interviewers have a difficult job with high risk for career burnout and secondary trauma. Few studies have addressed how new forensic interviewers or trainees experience repeated questioning and multiple interviews. This study simulated the process of training new forensic interviewers through the creation of two interview videos in which social work graduate students participated as actors portraying the roles of interviewer and child. These films served as instructional aids preparing graduate social work students for professional child welfare roles while promoting research-based approaches to interviewing children about sexual abuse allegations. Qualitative data from two cohorts of student actors were collected to analyze interviewers’ perspectives on repeated questioning and interviews in child sexual abuse cases. Two themes were extracted from the subjects’ experiences: “It is emotionally taxing” and “Navigating the interviewer role is unexpectedly complex.” Exposure to repeated questions and multiple interviews affected the performance and confidence of the interviewers.
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Notes on contributors
Jacquelynn F. Duron
Jacquelynn F. Duron, PhD, LCSW, is assistant professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Monit Cheung
Monit Cheung, PhD, LCSW, is professor and chair of clinical practice concentration at the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston in Houston, Texas.