A comparison of sexually abused and nonsexually abused children's behavioral responses to anatomically correct dolls.

Groups of 16 girls referred for evaluation and treatment of sexual abuse and 16 nonreferred girls between the ages of 5 and 8 years were compared on aggression, avoidance, private parts reference, and freeplay over two conditions: playing alone with anatomically correct dolls and telling a story about the dolls to an adult. Results indicated that sexually abused children displayed more sexually oriented behavior when alone but more avoidance of the dolls when interacting with an adult.