Concerning Practices of Interviewers When Using Anatomical Dolls in Child Protective Services Investigations

Abstract

This research provides information on how frontline interviewers actually use anatomical dolls and the types and frequencies of concerning practices attributable to doll use. Based on reviews of 20 interviewing guidelines, five functional uses of anatomical dolls were identified (comforter, icebreaker, anatomical model, demonstration aid, and diagnostic screen), and the frequency of these uses of the dolls and associated concerning practices was documented. Videotaped interviews of 97 children involved in child sexual abuse investigations were obtained representing two age categories: 2 to 5 years and 6 to 12 years. The videotapes and their verbatim transcriptions were used in coding. Anatomical model and demonstration aid were the most common doll uses, whereas the most common concerning practice was to introduce the dolls as a demonstration aid before sufficiently encouraging the child's verbal account. The practices that might be considered most egregious, such as the interviewer posing the dolls in sexual positions or overinterpreting the child's doll behavior, were very rarely observed.