Psychological interviewing for children: 7 key ideas on how it is done

The childhood stage is special for many reasons, which is why interviews need to be adapted.

The psychological interview for children is a tool that allows you to gather information about the emotional, cognitive or behavioral situation of children. It is one of the most widely used tools for psychological assessments and interventions.

In this sense, it is important to take into consideration some questions about its design and application. We will see below what some of these may be.

General characteristics of the psychological interview

In general terms, an interview is a method of collecting information. It is a tool that allows to collect data by means of a series of questions on a particular topic. As such, it is a technique that can be used for many different purposes. Depending on these purposes, the interview is structured and applied in one way or another.

When it comes to a psychological interview, the general objective is to gather information about the set of manifestations that make up a person's psychology. That is, to know cognitive processes, sensations, perceptions, emotions, attitudes and even behavior..

From this, one of the specific objectives of the psychological interview can be, for example, to know the way in which a person processes or retains information, in order to carry out a specific intervention. The interview may also focus on exploring a particular experience, or on the possible causes of a behavior or behavioral response, on the possible causes of a particular behavior or discomfort. behavior or discomfort.

Generally, the collection of this information is directed toward providing a type of assessment, determining the characteristics of a particular situation, or it may serve to establish a particular intervention guideline.

Types of interview

The psychological interview can be designed in a structured, semi-structured or open-ended manner.

The first case involves a series of pre-established questions The first case involves a series of previously established questions whose order and enunciation cannot be the time of the interview.

In the second case, the interviewer can previously establish a script, although at the time of the interview he/she may introduce new questions. the interviewer may introduce new questions or omit others.. This is a more flexible type of interview.

Finally, in the open-ended interview, a particular topic is established beforehand, but without the need to set specific questions, since at the time of the interview the interviewee is expected to choose freely the specific topics he/she is interested in addressing.

Psychological interview for children: 7 strategies

The psychological interview conducted with a child may have different objectives, and it is from these that the script, the time and the application of the interview will be structured. In general terms, this type of interview requires attention to the child's psychological resources, evolutionary development, interests and hobbies, sources of family and social support, and the child's social and family background.The interview should be based on the child's psychological resources, developmental development, interests and hobbies, sources of family and social support, his or her perception of the stability of his or her immediate environment and emotional coping strategies, and his or her ways of adapting to daily life.

That said, here are some guidelines that may be important to consider when designing and implementing a psychological interview for children.

1. Establish the objectives

The design of the psychological interview consists of determining the objectives of the interview and, from this, the script and structure. In other words, the questions may be different according to the purpose of the interview.. For example, the script will not be the same if the aim is to determine whether there has been an experience of domestic violence, as when the aim is to assess the child's cognitive abilities.

2. Consider the child's developmental cycle and context.

When conducting a psychological interview with children, the questions should be adapted to their zone of proximal development. Depending on the child's age, we can hardly expect them to sit and answer closed questions for a long period of time. for a long period of time. In the same vein, it is important to avoid complex and long questions: the vocabulary must be accessible and close to the child.

3. Free techniques

Related to the above, it is advisable to design an open or semi-structured interview. That is to say, to resort to free-form techniques (with questions that are not answered only with "yes" or "no") and not very directive. The feeling of being in an interrogation can be a major source of stress for the child and hinder the interview process.

4. Avoid letting the question influence the answer.

In the same vein, consider that the way in which the interviewer formulates a question often guides or influences the interviewee's response, especially in the case of children. To avoid this, it is important to avoid excessively specific questions, as well as tones of voice or approaches to questions. as well as forced tones of voice or approaches..

5. The climate of trust

It is important to foster a climate of trust, security and freedom for the child. In this sense, the interview should take place in a protected environment, which allows an empathic climate, and with this, the expression of emotions, thoughts and behaviors.and with this, the expression of emotions, thoughts and behaviors.

In the same sense, respect silences and pauses, avoiding pressure to get an answer that we probably expect. This means that it is necessary to adapt to the emotional situation of the child and respect his own time.

6. Pay attention to non-verbal language

When conducting a psychological interview with children, it is very important to take into consideration non-verbal language. This is so because, according to the child's stage of development, cognitive abilities, emotional situation and even socioeconomic context, it may happen that their linguistic resources are limited..

Paying attention to non-verbal language, looks, silences, pauses, reddening, gestures, repetitive movements, smiles, volume or tone of voice, etc., can facilitate the understanding of situations that are a source of conflict or satisfaction for the child.

7. Using play

One of the most commonly used strategies for conducting interviews with children is play. In general, games are more easily adapted to the life cycle of children than direct questions. In addition, it is a language that is close and appealing to them. Especially it is especially important to use the game at the moment of the rapportThis is the situation that precedes the interview and allows us to create a climate of trust. It is also advisable to use it during the closing.

Again, the games used depend largely on the information we want to collect, and can range from memoramas to drawings or simulations of everyday life.

Bibliographical references:

• Echeburúa, E. and Subijana, I.J. (2008). Guidelines for good psychological practice in the judicial treatment of sexually abused children. International Journal of Clinical Health Psychology, 8(3) [Online]. Retrieved October 18, 2018. Available at http://www.redalyc.org/html/337/33712016008/
• Herjanic, B. and Reich, W. (1997). Development of a Structured Psychiatric Interview for Children: Agreement Between Child and Parent on Individual Symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25(1): 21-31.