Trust and self-efficacy in reporting child sexual abuse to law enforcement: Evidence from Germany

Reporting suspected child sexual abuse (CSA) to law enforcement (LE) is a complex process for professionals working with children. Existing research indicates that both individual (e.g., self-efficacy) and institutional factors (e.g., trust in and collaboration with authorities) influence reporting behaviour, but their specific roles in this context remain underexplored.

This study investigates how CSA-specific self-efficacy and trust in LE predict German professionals' attitudes toward reporting suspected CSA, how these concepts interdepend and whether these relationships vary across key professional groups.

An online survey was completed by 608 professionals in Germany, including school personnel, child protection professionals and LE.

Participants completed validated scales measuring CSA-specific self-efficacy and trust in LE in cases of CSA. Logistic and linear regression analyses examined differences in reporting attitudes between professional groups and tested the predictive role of self-efficacy and trust on willingness to report suspected CSA to LE.

Teachers showed significantly higher odds of endorsing mandatory reporting than child protection professionals. Trust in LE was strongly associated with higher odds of reporting (OR ∼ 4.0), whereas CSA-specific self-efficacy did not independently predict reporting when controlling for trust and professional group membership. Self-efficacy did not mediate the trust-reporting relationship.

Institutional trust appears to be a critical determinant of CSA reporting attitudes among professionals, exceeding the influence of self-efficacy. Efforts to enhance collaboration and perceptions of fairness and competence within law enforcement may strengthen reporting behaviour and improve systemic responses to CSA.