![\"David](\"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/files\/2025\/10\/dpineda-273x300.jpg\")
<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Today I appeared in court as a forensic psychology expert, participating in a highly sensitive case involving the credibility assessment of a 7-year-old child\u2019s testimony. The experience was professionally enriching but emotionally demanding.<\/p>\n
<\/b><\/h2>\nThe child was clearly emotionally distressed, affected not only by the events in question but by the emotional burden accumulated throughout the process. Guilt, shame, and a strong sense of betrayal were especially prominent. At some point during the proceedings, the child had been told they \u201cwouldn\u2019t have to talk about it again,\u201d and this broken promise became a major barrier to obtaining a full, coherent narrative.<\/p>\n
Although I was able to identify credibility indicators during the interview, the difficulty in eliciting a spontaneous and detailed free narrative severely limited the reliability of the assessment. In line with established protocols and ethical standards, I concluded that the testimony should be considered indeterminate.<\/p>\n
\u2e3b<\/p>\n
These are often the hardest decisions to make. As a clinician and human being, I strongly suspected the child was telling the truth \u2014 but as a scientist, I must adhere strictly to what the evidence can support. That boundary must never be crossed.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, today the case has reached its conclusion. The accused admitted guilt and accepted the charges, sparing the child from having to testify again. As an expert, I find great relief in knowing I did not overstep the thin \u2014 but essential \u2014 line between what I can objectively demonstrate and what I emotionally suspect.<\/p>\n
\u2e3b<\/p>\n
This case is far from isolated. In fact, in a recent study we published in 2023, we examined the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) in Spain using a large sample of over 1,300 adults. The findings are striking:
\n\u2022 22.4% of women and 9.2% of men reported experiencing CSA.
\n\u2022 Women were significantly more likely to report severe forms of abuse during adolescence.
\n\u2022 The overall prevalence of CSA \u2014 with or without intercourse \u2014 was high enough to demand urgent attention.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcc4 You can access the full study here: \u2e3b<\/p>\n In cases like these, it\u2019s crucial to stay grounded in scientific rigor, even when every fiber of our being \u2014 as citizens, professionals, or parents \u2014 urges us to go further. Only by upholding these principles can we contribute to a more ethical, more humane, and evidence-based system of justice.<\/p>\n \u2e3b<\/p>\n \ud83d\udce2 Share this publication:<\/strong><\/p>\n \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f X (formerly Twitter)<\/a> | \ud83d\udccc Court Testimony as Expert Witness in a Child Credibility Evaluation The child was clearly emotionally distressed, affected not only by the events in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4970,"featured_media":43,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[633],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4970"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpineda.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPineda, D., Muris, P., Mart\u00ednez-Mart\u00ednez, A., & Piqueras, J. A. (2023)
\n\u27a1\ufe0f Prevalence of child sexual abuse in Spain: A survey study. European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context<\/a><\/p>\n\ud83e\udded A Necessary Reminder<\/h3>\n
\n\ud83d\udcd8 Facebook<\/a> |
\n\ud83d\udd17 LinkedIn<\/a> |
\n\ud83d\udcf8 Instagram<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nToday I appeared in court as a forensic psychology expert, participating in a highly sensitive case involving the credibility assessment of a 7-year-old child\u2019s testimony. The experience was professionally enriching but emotionally demanding.<\/p>\n