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Questions to Raise Before Accepting Children's Opinions

NCJ Number
94571
Journal
Children's Legal Rights Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 2-7
Author(s)
S S Clawer
Date Published
1983
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Professionals who interview children about family matters must take into account that children's opinions are influenced by a host of social-psychological factors derived from various forms of parental pressure; interview techniques should aim at uncovering any influences that may distort or confuse a child's statements to the interviewer.
Abstract
Children's statements to an interviewer may be influenced by prior parental intimidation and threat. Directly asking a child if he/she has been intimidated to answer interview questions certain ways may reveal this factor. Guilt may also influence a child to distort statements because of fear that if he/she reveals certain things, parental love will be withdrawn. Children may also be bribed with promises of toys or outings to influence their answers to specified questions. Another parental tactic that may be used to influence children's opinions involves the parent projecting himself/herself as an unfortunate victim so as to play on the child's sympathies and solicit the child's help in avoiding further misfortune. Other factors that may influence a child's responses in an interview are the fear of being abandoned by one or both parents, parents' promises to change for the better, fear of the unfamiliar, revenge for past grievances against parents, loyalty conflicts, fantasies spawned under various pressures, and parental advice that things can only get worse if the child tells the truth about certain matters.