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Published on: February 11, 2017
The Roles of Autonomic Arousal and Self-Reported Stress in Children's Disclosure of a Minor Transgression
Laura M Fulton1, Joanna Peplak2, J Zoe Klemfuss1
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Insights
Children’s physiological stress responses, not self-reports, predict their disclosure of transgressions. Heightened autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal indicates a lower likelihood of disclosure in investigations.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Child Maltreatment Research
Background:
- Accurate child disclosures are critical for child maltreatment investigations.
- Children's reluctance to disclose can be influenced by stress, particularly in sensitive situations.
- Biologically sensitive children may exhibit heightened stress responses, potentially inhibiting disclosure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between physiological and self-reported stress and children's disclosure of a transgression.
- To determine if autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal and subjective stress predict disclosure likelihood in children aged 4-9.
- To explore the role of age in children's disclosure and its interaction with stress measures.
Main Methods:
- A laboratory paradigm involving 337 children (ages 4-9) who broke toys and were instructed to keep it secret.
- Physiological stress measured via autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal (heart rate) following the secrecy instruction.
- Subjective stress and calmness self-reported by children; forensic-style interviews conducted post-transgression.
Main Results:
- Higher ANS arousal post-secrecy instruction was associated with a lower likelihood of disclosure.
- Greater self-reported calmness post-transgression predicted reduced disclosure, while self-reported stress was not significant.
- Age positively correlated with disclosure but did not moderate the effects of stress on disclosure.
Conclusions:
- Physiological stress (ANS arousal) is a valuable, objective indicator of children's non-disclosure risk.
- Assessing stress beyond self-report is crucial, as children may underreport or fail to recognize their stress levels.
- Findings emphasize the importance of physiological measures in understanding children's disclosure behavior in forensic contexts.
Abstract:
Accurate disclosures from children are essential in child maltreatment investigations, yet many children are reluctant to disclose adverse experiences. Biologically sensitive children may experience stronger stress responses in morally or socially charged situations, potentially inhibiting disclosure. The present study examined whether stress, measured physiologically via autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal and subjectively via self-reported stress, predicted children's disclosure of a transgression. Children (N = 337; ages 4-9 years) participated in a laboratory-based paradigm, during which two toys broke in their hands, and a confederate asked them to keep it a secret. Acute ANS arousal was indexed by heart rate during the minute following the secrecy instruction relative to baseline. Children also self-reported their stress and calmness at baseline and immediately post-transgression. Children were then interviewed using a NICHD-informed forensic-style interview protocol. Higher ANS arousal post-secrecy instruction predicted a lower likelihood of disclosure. In contrast, higher self-reported calmness post-transgression predicted a reduced likelihood of disclosure, while self-reported stress was unrelated. Age was positively associated with disclosure but did not moderate stress-disclosure associations. Findings highlight the value of assessing stress beyond self-report, with heightened ANS arousal capturing nondisclosure risk that children may strategically downplay or fail to recognize in self-reports.
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