Citation

Schor DP, Sivan AB. Child Abuse Negl. 1989; 13(4): 523-531.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Sexually abused children are often said to use idiosyncratic terminology when referring to sexual body parts. Anatomic dolls are often used in sexual abuse investigations, especially of younger children, with both their behavioral and verbal responses used to draw conclusions about the likelihood of sexual abuse. However, there is little information available about the responses of nonabused children to these dolls. This study characterizes the terms nonreferred children use to label sexual body parts of anatomic dolls. The study involved 144 children ages 3 through 8 years who were asked for their names for specific body parts including anus, breast, buttock, penis, scrotum, and vagina. Responses for breast, buttock, and penis were more precise than for other body parts. More than half the respondents did not have labels for anus and scrotum. The "age" and "gender" of the dolls had little effect on the children's responses. Older children had more accurate terminology than younger children for sexually related body parts except for penis and anus. For the most part, the gender of the child or the interviewer had little influence on responses. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Child Abuse & Neglect, 1989. Copyright © 1989 by Elsevier Science)

Anatomically Correct Dolls
Child Sexual Abuse Victim
Abused-Nonabused Comparison
Victim Nonvictim Comparison
Child Perceptions
Victim Perceptions
Early Childhood
Late Childhood
Middle Childhood
Child Abuse Victim
Sexual Assault Victim
01-04