Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse: Delays, Non‐disclosure and Partial Disclosure. What the Research Tells Us and Implications for Practice

This paper reviews the research on disclosure of child sexual abuse with specific reference to delays in disclosing, non‐disclosure and partial disclosure of experiences of child sexual abuse. Findings from large‐scale national probability studies highlight the prevalence of both non‐disclosure and delays in disclosure, while findings from small‐scale qualitative studies portray the complexity, diversity and individuality of experiences. The possible explanations regarding why children are reluctant to disclose such experiences have significant implications for addressing the issue of child sexual abuse from the perspectives of child protection, legal and therapeutic professionals. The importance of understanding the dynamics of disclosure, in particular the needs of young people to maintain control over the disclosure process, the important role that peers play in this process, the responses of adults in both informal and formal networks, and the opportunities to tell, is key to helping young people speak more promptly about their experiences of sexual abuse. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ‘The importance of understanding the dynamics of disclosure’ Key Practitioner Messages Children typically delay disclosing experiences of abuse. Asking children questions about their wellbeing gives them the opportunity to tell when they are ready. The challenge is to find the right questions at the right time. Peers can be the right people to ask these questions. Adolescents need to know about how to ask and what to do if someone tells. Adolescents need to know about how to ask and what to do if someone tells.