CHILDRENS PATTERNS OF DISCLOSURES AND RECANTATIONS OF SEXUAL AND RITUALISTIC ABUSE ALLEGATIONS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Patterns of disclosures and recantations of abuse made in psychotherapy were examined in a sample of 63 children who reported sexual and ritualistic abuse in a preschool setting. Therapists completed a measure that instructed them to identify the time since the child began therapy when any disclosures or recantations were made, to specify the type of abuse disclosed or recanted, and to identify any events that might be related to the timing of a disclosure or recantation. The findings revealed that the majority of subjects (76.2%) disclosed abuse within the first month of therapy. Recantation occurred in 17 cases (27%) and all but two children who recanted redisclosed abuse after the initial recantation. There was some evidence that children's experiences within the legal system may have been associated with recantations. Subjects tended to make vague disclosures before revealing more specific acts, reveal less intrusive sexual abuse (e.g., kissing) before more intrusive types (e.g., intercourse), and to disclose ritualistic abuse after other types.