Segal, Aleksandr

Background Childhood maltreatment is associated with dissociative experiences later in life, but it remains unclear which characteristics of maltreatment are most relevant for such experiences. This study examined cumulative maltreatment exposure, maltreatment types, and developmental timing experienced during childhood years. Method A representative sample (N = 2000, 47.65% women, M age = 23.89, SD = 3.59) of Lithuanian young adults (ages 18–29) completed measures of childhood maltreatment (MACE) and dissociative experiences (DES-II), a dimensional measure capturing a broad spectrum of dissociative phenomena. Results Hierarchical linear regressions with bootstrapped confidence intervals were conducted controlling for sociodemographic variables. Greater cumulative maltreatment experienced during childhood was associated with higher frequency of dissociative experiences in young adults. Physical abuse and non-verbal emotional abuse were significant predictors when examined simultaneously. Participants who experienced single and multiple types of maltreatment differed from those who did not have such experiences, however, no differences between the 2 groups were found. Developmental timing (age of onset, age of exposure, cumulative age of exposure periods) variables were not significant. Family disharmony was indirectly associated with dissociation through cumulative maltreatment. Conclusions Cumulative and threat-related maltreatment were modestly associated with frequency of dissociative experiences, whereas developmental timing and the number of maltreatment types showed more limited associations.

Experiencing child sexual abuse (CSA) can be considered a traumatic experience. Many negative shortand long-term consequences are linked with CSA. Dissociative experiences are one such consequence. The goal of the present study was to investigate the differences in nonperitraumatic dissociative experiences in different types and circumstances of CSA. Method: The present study utilized a representative sample of Lithuanians aged 18–29 (N = 2,000). The frequency of dissociative experiences was investigated between groups of participants who experienced different types of CSA (contact, noncontact, and verbal) and different circumstances of abuse (age of onset, number of perpetrators, and instances of abuse). Results: Participants who indicated having experienced multiple types of CSA demonstrated a higher frequency of dissociative experiences compared to those with no indicated CSA or a single type of CSA. No significant differences were found between different types of CSA. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found based on age of onset, number of perpetrators, or number of CSA instances, even though their strength of relationship with dissociation differed. Notably, those unable to recall CSA experiences consistently reported a higher frequency of dissociative experiences. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings confirm that there is a difference in frequency of dissociative experiences between those who experienced CSA and those who did not. Findings of the present study would suggest that different types of CSA should not be joined into one, since there may be important differences between them.

Simulation-based training is used to improve child interviewers’ questioning skills. However, not all trainees benefit equally. While some show clear improvement, others make little or no progress. To better understand this variation, we conducted a mega-analysis of four studies (interviews N = 4,634; participants N = 1,838). We examined whether interviewers’ task appraisals, specifically viewing the task as a challenge rather than a threat, could predict their performance in avatar-based child interview simulations. The results showed that higher challenge appraisals were associated with better performance during the immediately following interview simulation. In addition, interviewers who increasingly viewed the task as a challenge over time also demonstrated greater learning gains, such as asking more recommended questions and obtaining more accurate information. These effects were especially strong among those with less prior experience. However, interviewers with more experience did not always improve, and in some cases performed worse. These findings suggest that how interviewers evaluate the task potentially plays a key role in both immediate performance and long-term learning. Training programs should address evolving appraisals to enhance effectiveness.

Ar technologijos gali padėti išsaugoti vaikų emocinę gerovę? Mokslininkai pristato sprendimą, kuris atveria naujas galimybes jautriose apklausose. Vaikų avatarai – aktorių balsais įgarsinti virtualūs vaikai – jau išbandytas įrankis realybėje, rašoma Mykolo Romerio universiteto Mokslo ir inovacijų centro pranešime žiniasklaidai.

Previous research has shown that simulated interviews with avatars can improve question quality, but evidence regarding long‐term effects and the role of experience remains limited. We investigated both short‐ and long‐term impacts of avatar training with feedback in Child Protection Services (CPS) worker and student groups. Thirty‐one CPS workers and 35 novice students interviewed four child avatars, with half receiving feedback after each interview. After 4 months, the training was repeated with all participants receiving feedback. Training with feedback improved investigative interview quality in the short term, with no substantial decline after 4 months. Experience had no effects on interview quality, nor did it moderate training impact. These findings suggest that avatar‐based interview training with feedback could effectively improve investigative interviewing skills across different experience levels, maintaining its effects over a 4‐month period.

When interviewing children in suspected child sexual abuse (CSA) cases, a common mistake is for interviewers to only ask questions that aim at confirming their initial assumption. Here, we sought to investigate whether experienced emotional states and psychophysiological parameters measured when following a (simulated) CSA interview would be associated with confirmation bias in subsequent question formulation. Psychology students ( N  = 60, M age = 22.75) followed a (simulated) CSA interview while their facially expressed emotions (anger, sadness, disgust, surprize and relief), galvanic skin response, heart rate (HR), and HR variability (HRV) were registered. The interview was then interrupted, and the participants were asked to formulate additional questions they would ask of the interviewee. As predicted, we found that participants who got more (vs. less) disgusted by the interview asked more questions biased towards confirming CSA. Against our expectations, participants who got more (vs. less) surprized also asked more questions biased towards confirming CSA. We also found, as predicted, that lower HRV was associated with more abuse confirming questions. Results suggest that emotions and psychophysiological states participants experience when observing a CSA interview are associated with confirmation bias in how questions are formulated.