In many contexts, race matters. The impact of race in common forensic tasks, like interviewing, has not been adequately researched. However, with a greater push for diversity and emphasis on cultural competence, important questions are being asked and investigated empirically. In Fisher et al. (2016), researchers explored data focused on the race of both the child and the interviewer on disclosure while investigating child sexual abuse. Specifically, the study examined the effect of the race of the interviewer and the race of the child on forensic interviews completed in Child Advocacy Center (CACs).
At the time of this study, research on the impact of race in the interviewing dyad in cases of suspected child abuse ended in mixed results. Some studies found that the cross-racial dyads had significantly higher rates of interview outcomes deemed consistent with sexual abuse while other studies found the opposite. To add to the literature in this area, the researchers completed a retrospective analysis of 522 archived files. Cases of alleged child sexual abuse involving Black and Caucasian children at a CAC in the south were included in the study. The study included six forensic interviewers, three Black and three Caucasian, all trained in the CornerHouse Forensic Interview Protocol: RATAC (Rapport, Anatomy Identification, Touch Inquiry, Abuse Scenario, and Closure). The interviewers were supervised by one clinical director who was active in determining how to categorize the results of the interview (the race of the clinical director was not disclosed).
Using ordinal logistic regression analysis, findings consistent with sexual abuse was more likely in cross racial dyads than in the same-racial dyads. Stated differently, Black children being interviewed by a Caucasion were more likely to have a finding consistent with sexual abuse compared to a Caucasion child being interviewed by a Caucasion interviewer. Likewise, Caucasion children had increased odds of findings consistent with sexual abuse when interviewed by a Black interviewer. Though the findings were consistent that cross-racial dyads resulted in categorization of consistent with sexual abuse more often that same-racial dyads, the effect size was small so definitive conclusions could not be reached.
Several factors that may have influenced the results were not examined, including more description of the heterogeneity in the Black group (African American, Caribbean American, Black Hispanic, immigrants from Africa), ratings of multicultural competence in the interviewers and the clinical supervisor, as well as the impact of other demographic factors of the interviewer and interviewee. However, two important points to highlight include: 1) Race-matching cannot be assumed to result in specific or better outcomes 2) Cultural competence should be a continuous focus in training and professional development.
Research must continue to investigate how to create optimally efficient and culturally responsive protocols to make the investigation as accurate and clinically sound as possible.
Source:
Fisher, A. K., Mackey, T. D., Langendoen, C., & Barnard, M. (2016). Child and interviewer race in forensic interviewing. Journal of child sexual abuse, 25(7), 777-792.