Examining Child Abuse Disclosure Patterns: A Retrospective Approach to Estimating Denial and Recantation Rates

Controversy surrounds whether we should expect children to disclose abuse, particularly childhood sexual abuse (CSA). This dissertation examined the likelihood of disclosure, denial, and recantation of abuse among children by gathering retrospective reports from adults (N = 400). Of those surveyed, 15% indicated physical abuse, 10% indicated sexual abuse, and 6% indicated both physical and sexual abuse. Findings revealed that most CSA victims (68%) disclosed the abuse during childhood. The likelihood of CSA disclosure increased with questioning (91.7% disclosed when asked). Denial and recantation were infrequent among CSA victims. Delay of disclosure was common among both physically and sexually abused individuals. Recantation among physically abused victims remained infrequent. However, individuals reporting physical abuse were less likely to report having disclosed the abuse in childhood. The high rates of CSA disclosure reported in this study contradict rates reported by most others and far exceed those found in the physically abused sample. Reasons and implications are discussed.