NCJ Number
111891
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: (1988) Pages: 171-179
Date Published
1988
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study surveyed 689 child protection workers, law enforcement officers, mental health practitioners and physicians in North Carolina to ascertain their use of the anatomical dolls in child sexual abuse evaluations.
Abstract
A questionnaire was developed to obtain information on the length of time various professionals had been using the dolls, their training, features of the dolls used, how the dolls were presented to children being evaluated, and interpretations of children's interactions with the dolls. The questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 200 law enforcement agencies, 124 mental health practitioners, and 265 physicians. One respondent from each of 100 county child protective service agencies was included in the sample. Of the 689 professionals contacted, 295 returned the questionnaire. Findings indicate that most professionals using the dolls had little specific training in their use. Law enforcement officers were significantly less likely than other professionals to view children's demonstrations of sexual acts with the doll as convincing evidence of sexual abuse. There was no behavior (e.g., undressing the dolls, touching the dolls' genitals) which all professional groups unanimously agreed would be normal play behavior by young children ages 2 to 5 who had not been sexually abused. Results highlight the need for training resources and normative research. Tabular data and 9 references. (Author abstract modified)