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Mellan hjärta och paragraf: En studie om barnförhörsledares känslohantering i en rättslig kontext

Hellman, Lena LU and Johansson Rüder, Filippa LU (2025) RÄSK02 20251
Department of Sociology of Law
Abstract
The primary task of child forensic interviewers is to secure evidence without causing the
child discomfort. Evidence obtained through incorrect interview techniques risks being
denied in court. Research has shown that negative emotions such as sadness and anger
can affect the interrogation negatively. The aim of this study was to gain new knowledge
about the complexity that child interviewers face in their work with vulnerable children.
In order to highlight this complexity, it was investigated how interviewers manage their
emotions in conjunction with child interrogations and how emotional work is affected by
legal and organizational requirements.

The study was conducted with ten child forensic interviewers using semi-structured... (More)
The primary task of child forensic interviewers is to secure evidence without causing the
child discomfort. Evidence obtained through incorrect interview techniques risks being
denied in court. Research has shown that negative emotions such as sadness and anger
can affect the interrogation negatively. The aim of this study was to gain new knowledge
about the complexity that child interviewers face in their work with vulnerable children.
In order to highlight this complexity, it was investigated how interviewers manage their
emotions in conjunction with child interrogations and how emotional work is affected by
legal and organizational requirements.

The study was conducted with ten child forensic interviewers using semi-structured
questions. The empirical material was first analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis
and then analyzed using Hochschild’s emotion theory and previous research. The findings
indicate that the professional role is complex and that a child interviewer’s emotional
management is affected by both legal and organizational expectations. The study also
shows that child interviewers’ management can be protected by maintaining a
professional facade and that collegial support is significant in minimizing the risk of
burnout. In addition, it appears that it is not necessarily the severity of the crime that
leads to the most emotionally taxing moments in the profession but rather it can be minor
nuances that contribute to a higher emotional load. For future research, it should be
prioritized to focus on longitudinal studies that investigate how emotional labor affects
the mental health of child interviewers in the long term. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hellman, Lena LU and Johansson Rüder, Filippa LU
supervisor
organization
course
RÄSK02 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Child forensic interviewer, Child interrogation, Emotional labor, Emotional management, Institutional and legal demands
language
Swedish
id
9206776
date added to LUP
2025-08-11 14:31:27
date last changed
2025-08-11 14:31:27
@misc{9206776,
  abstract     = {{The primary task of child forensic interviewers is to secure evidence without causing the
child discomfort. Evidence obtained through incorrect interview techniques risks being
denied in court. Research has shown that negative emotions such as sadness and anger
can affect the interrogation negatively. The aim of this study was to gain new knowledge
about the complexity that child interviewers face in their work with vulnerable children.
In order to highlight this complexity, it was investigated how interviewers manage their
emotions in conjunction with child interrogations and how emotional work is affected by
legal and organizational requirements.

The study was conducted with ten child forensic interviewers using semi-structured
questions. The empirical material was first analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis
and then analyzed using Hochschild’s emotion theory and previous research. The findings
indicate that the professional role is complex and that a child interviewer’s emotional
management is affected by both legal and organizational expectations. The study also
shows that child interviewers’ management can be protected by maintaining a
professional facade and that collegial support is significant in minimizing the risk of
burnout. In addition, it appears that it is not necessarily the severity of the crime that
leads to the most emotionally taxing moments in the profession but rather it can be minor
nuances that contribute to a higher emotional load. For future research, it should be
prioritized to focus on longitudinal studies that investigate how emotional labor affects
the mental health of child interviewers in the long term.}},
  author       = {{Hellman, Lena and Johansson Rüder, Filippa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Mellan hjärta och paragraf: En studie om barnförhörsledares känslohantering i en rättslig kontext}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}