NCJ Number
164961
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 37-57
Date Published
1996
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article highlights the potential value of free symbolic play in the assessment of the nature of child sexual abuse.
Abstract
The author argues that free symbolic play is a modality well suited to the expression, reworking, and mastery of psychic trauma and therefore offers sexually abused children a channel for communication. Also, free symbolic play is a potential source of information to mental health professionals when attempting to understand the context of a child's experience of sexual abuse. Preliminary guidelines are suggested for the appropriate use of free symbolic play to obtain information about possible sexual abuse. The author notes that one major misuse of free symbolic play is in attempting to prove or disprove sexual abuse. Since little research has been conducted to compare the free play of sexually abused children and nonabused children, no protocols exist to show what factors in free symbolic play are characteristic of sexual abuse. It is appropriate, however, to observe the free play of a child who is suspected of having been sexually abused in an attempt to understand the child's possible abuse experience; however, since it is not clear what factors in play are characteristic of sexually abused children, free play cannot identify sexually abuse children from the larger population. A case study is presented to illustrate the application of free play. The potential impact of research that compares the free symbolic play of sexually abused and nonabused children is considered. 42 references