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Investigative interviews with children A Qualitative Study of Moral Stress Among Police Employees Working in the Special Victim Unit in Norway

Eva Langvik,I. Rostad,Lea Loncar,Ingvild Lervåg,Anne Martha Nordnes,I. Saksvik-Lehouillier

Published 2025 in SAGE Open

ABSTRACT

Investigating child abuse represents a potential health risk for police employees. However, less is known about the distinct nature of these challenges for specific groups within the special victim unit. We applied qualitative research design, and conducted 15 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with police employees specialized in child investigative interviews, all employed at a large police district in Norway. We used a reflexive, thematic analysis as analytical approach. The analysis identified seven themes: (1) Fear of failing in the mismatch between demand and resources, (2) Questioning the system: Concerns with doing more harm than good; (3) Lack of recognition and understanding by the management, (4) Restrained by the special competence, (5) Working on the edge: the constant balance between closeness and distance, (6) Family: a resource rather than a vulnerability, and (7) Teamwork facilitates professional development. The results point to moral stress, insufficient support, understanding, and acknowledgment from the management as significant stressors. Many experiences a lack of variation in work tasks, adding to the burden. Teamwork can mitigate this, facilitating professional development and available support for this group. Plain language summary Police employees working with child abuse investigation finds the moral stress more challenging than the stories and pictures Although police employees report that being exposed to children that are victims of abuse and neglect is the most stressful that they encounter in their work, investigating child abuse has just recently gain attention as work that can affect employees both physically, mentally, and socially. In this study, we interviewed 15 police employees that worked primarily with investigative interviews with children, in cases of alleged sexual abuse. The results showed that the most stressful part of the job was the fear of doing a mistake, resulting in a case being dismissed, the concern of doing more harm to the child and the family than actual help, and the pressure from the system, focusing on the quantity rather than the quality of the child investigative interviews. Moral stress can result in various negative health outcome like burnout, insomnia and depression. It is crucial that the occupational health of police employees performing these tasks are given priority, and that the management acknowledge and understand what represent the most stressful part of their work.

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