NCJ Number
164611
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1996) Pages: 363-378
Date Published
1996
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined nonabused children's responses to anatomically detailed (AD) dolls among diverse populations.
Abstract
A total of 36 low-income, predominantly African-American preschoolers from a Head Start center participated in an AD interview. Interviews were videotaped and coded for the presence of eight behaviors and eight parallel verbalizations. Findings show that the children spent most of the interviews without engaging in any behaviors that are often associated with sexual abuse. Sexual interaction between the dolls was seldom demonstrated, particularly when compared to exploration of the dolls' genitalia. Some differences were noted in the way low- income, predominantly African-American preschoolers responded to the dolls compared with the results of studies that used predominantly middle-income, white preschoolers. Results support the findings from previous studies of an increased sexual interaction with AD dolls among low-income, African-American preschoolers when compared with middle-income, white preschoolers. Dawson et al. (1992) found no occurrences of sexual interaction among their middle-income white sample compared to the 9-percent rate of the current study. Boat and Everson (1992) concluded that children from a low-income African-American population may be exposed to sexual behavior more often because of crowded living conditions. In the current study, follow-up interviews with the parents of the four children who demonstrated sexual interaction with the dolls provided support for this observation. 4 tables and 19 references