Range of common issues

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The child

There is a range of issues that commonly concern children at the point of disclosure. These have been well documented by several authors including Sgroi (Sgroi, 1982, p. 113-138) and so will only be discussed briefly here. Naturally, this list is not exhaustive nor can it be assumed that each issue is relevant to each particular child.

Children are often worried that they will somehow be 'in trouble' on account of the disclosure. Some children who have attended the Sexual Assault Centre at Westmead Hospital have expected to be interrogated by stern looking people in uniforms. This is tied in with the child's fear of not being believed and she or he may be extremely sensitive to any questions or statements that inadvertently imply blame.

It may be that the experience of sexual assault has left the child feeling dirty and somehow less worthy. Children in this situation wonder if other people can somehow tell what has happened to them and may be concerned about whether they will still be liked and accepted by their friends and family. The child may also worry about being physically damaged or 'broken' and in some cases there is a fear of pregnancy or future difficulties.

At the time of disclosure the child and caregivers may be subjected to a lot of official inquiry and they may have to attend various agencies such as a hospital, the Department of Youth and Community Services and the Police Department. Also, it is a time of high emotion, and caregivers may express a number of feelings including anger, frustration, sadness and so on. To the child concerned, it can very easily appear that she or he is to blame for all this upset and activity and that people are angry with him or her.

Depending on the child's feelings towards the perpetrator, there may also be concern over any unintended consequences of the disclosure. Alternatively, the child may feel responsible for not disclosing earlier.

Some children are very fearful about the consequences of disclosing. Frequently there have been implicit or explicit threats made by the perpetrator and the child may be worried about his or her future safety. Also, perpetrators sometimes give the child consistent messages concerning the child's character, his or her future and the child's role in the assault. Such messages could include statements like: 'No man will ever really want you except for this (i.e., sex)' or 'I'm doing this to help you and your mother get along'.

Naturally these messages can strongly distort the child's understanding of what has happened and frequently lead to the child's self esteem being diminished. Workers need to be alert to the messages that the child has received.

If the child is to have a medical examination she or he may well be very frightened at this prospect. There may be embarrassment and anxiety about being hurt. Sometimes children get the impression that the medical examination is to check whether they are telling the truth or not. Accurate information about the role of this examination and what is to happen may considerably reduce the child's fear. These issues are summarised in Figure 4.

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Figure 4: Range of common issues for the child

1. Is this my fault? Will I be in trouble? Will I be believed?
2. Can people tell what has happened to me? Am I still a likeable person?
3. Have I been damaged? Will I have problems in the future?
4. Everyone is upset because of me. I wish I hadn't caused all this trouble. I wish I hadn't got him/her (i.e., perpetrator) into trouble.
5. What will happen now that I've told? I'm afraid.
6. Why have I got to see the doctor?

The caregiver

At the time of disclosure many caregivers; are very concerned about what effect the assault will have on their child and his or her future well being. Frequently caregivers wish that they could have known earlier and they find it difficult to understand why the child didn't tell them. Any indicators of sexual assault appear in retrospect to be glaringly obvious and the caregiver may believe that she of he is to blame for not being more alert to them.

Caregivers often feel hurt on behalf of their child as well as having their own feelings of sadness, grief, anger and outrage to deal with. Given the amount of pain and disruption to lifestyle that ensues from disclosure. it's understandable that occasionally caregivers grasp at the possibility of a mistake. However, the worker involved needs to be concerned if this reaches the point where the child's safety is not being taken seriously by the caregiver.

The disclosure of sexual assault frequently thrusts caregivers into an unfamiliar maze of procedures. They may be confused over what is expected from them and the number of agencies that they have to deal with. A frequently stated need is to understand what is happening to them at this point and what is to happen next.

These issues are summarised in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Range of common issues for caregivers

1. Will my child be alright in the future?
2. Why didn't he/she tell me earlier?
3. I should have been able to tell that it was happening! it is my fault for not picking it up earlier.
4. Perhaps there's been some mistake!
5. What's expected of me? What's going to happen next?

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