Normative Sexual Behavior in Children: A Contemporary Sample

Friedrich, William N.; Fisher, Jennifer; Broughton, Daniel D.; Houston, Margaret S.; Shafran, Constance R.

doi:10.1542/peds.101.4.e9

Cited by 191 publications

(207 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

155

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Historically, preadolescent children have been regarded as asexual, and any evidence of sexual behavior has been questioned as a symptom of sexual abuse (Gordon & Schroeder, 1995). However, developmental research indicates that the display of certain sexual behaviors in childhood are expected and developmentally appropriate (Friedrich et al, 1991(Friedrich et al, , 1992(Friedrich et al, , 2001Larsson & Svedin, 2002a;Lindblad et al, 1995;Sandfort & Cohen-Kettenis, 2000). A short review of this research is presented below; readers are urged to consult for a more through review of normative sexual development, including the historical progression of this work and related theoretical issues.…”

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Investigations of young children almost solely rely on informant reports, and typically utilize either the sexual behavior items from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 1991), or more commonly, one of the versions of the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI; Friedrich, 1991Friedrich, , 1993. The popularity of the latter measure, used in studies examining both normative and nonnormative sexual behavior, allows for comparisons between studies.…”

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The popularity of the latter measure, used in studies examining both normative and nonnormative sexual behavior, allows for comparisons between studies. Regardless of measure used, research clearly indicates that parents and daycare providers report a broad range of child sexual behaviors, from low-frequency and specific behaviors, to high-frequency and more general behaviors (Friedrich et al, 1991(Friedrich et al, , 2000Lindblad et al, 1995;Schoentjes et al, 1999).…”

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Low-frequency behaviors found using parent reports include behaviors that are intrusive, aggressive, or more imitative of adult sexual behavior, such as attempted intercourse, oral-genital contact, masturbating with an object, and inserting objects into vagina/rectum (Friedrich et al, 1991Schoentjes et al, 1999). While rare (typically < 3% of children in community samples) throughout childhood, these behaviors are reported to occur in nearly all investigations utilizing the CSBI (Friedrich et al, 1991(Friedrich et al, , 2000Lindblad et al, 1995;Schoentjes et al, 1999).…”

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Understanding child sexual behavior problems: A developmental psychopathology framework

Elkovitch

Latzman

Hansen

et al. 2009

Clinical Psychology Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children exhibiting sexual behavior have increasingly gained the attention of child welfare and mental health systems, as well as the scientific community. While a heterogeneous group, children with sexual behavior problems consistently demonstrate a number of problems related to adjustment and overall development. In order to appropriately intervene with these children, a comprehensive understanding of etiology is imperative. The overarching goal of the present paper is to review the extant research on mechanisms associated with the development of problematic sexual behavior in childhood within a developmental psychopathology framework. What is known about normative and nonnormative sexual behavior in childhood is reviewed, highlighting definitional challenges and age-related developmental differences. Further, the relationship between child sexual abuse and child sexual behavior problems is discussed, drawing attention to factors impacting this relationship. Risk factors for child sexual behavior problems, beyond that of sexual abuse, are also reviewed utilizing a transactional-ecological framework. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of implications of a developmental psychopathology perspective on problematic child sexual behaviors to inform future research and intervention efforts. Such implications include the need for attention to normative childhood sexual behavior, developmental sensitivity, and examinations of ecological domain in concert.

show abstract

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Normative Sexual Behaviors In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Understanding child sexual behavior problems: A developmental psychopathology framework

Elkovitch

Latzman

Hansen

et al. 2009

Clinical Psychology Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Undue attention to normative sexual behaviours can cause them to increase in intensity, frequency, and duration, thereby increasing the potential for them to become problematic. Thus, it is important to educate caregivers about common reactions to trauma as well as normative behavioural, emotional, and sexual development (Friedrich, Grambsch, Broughton, Kuiper, & Beilke, 1991) and help them respond effectively (Allen & Armstrong Hoskowitz, 2017; Deblinger et al, 2015). …”

Section: Tf-cbt As Applied To Young Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for young children: clinical considerations

Pollio

Deblinger

2017

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) has been utilized with children of a wide age range and with diverse trauma experiences. This article will focus on the application of TF-CBT to young children. After presenting an overview of the model, challenges and developmentally-sensitive and creative strategies for engaging young children and their caregivers in TF-CBT PRACTICE components will be highlighted. A brief review of the strong empirical support for TF-CBT will then be provided.

show abstract

Child Sexual Abuse Evaluations

Kuehnle

2003

Handbook of Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Accurate estimates of true and false child sexual abuse evades researchers and the determination of whether sexual abuse has occurred is a complex problem. In recent years, the research community has been polarized over whether child victims of sexual abuse or nonabuse are grossly misidentified, to what degree children are suggestible, and whether false positive or false negative errors create the greatest harm. This chapter describes the scientific‐practitioner model for evaluating allegations of child sexual abuse, a model previously proposed by the author. According to this model, conclusions regarding child sexual abuse are based upon empirically established relationships between data and the behavior in question, rather than on subjective opinions. To address critical issues in these assessments, this chapter reviews two sources for information: published research and the law. Child sexual abuse is defined, focusing on risk factors for abuse and the meaning of symptoms. Studies citing the incidence and prevalence of child sexual abuse are reviewed. Topics include early memories, the impact of stress on memory, and the development of autobiographical memory. Since recall is subjected to the effects of suggestibility, research on this topic is considered. The structure of the assessment interview and a review of the research on the three most frequently used evaluation tools (anatomical dolls, projective instruments, and drawings) is described.

show abstract

Normative Sexual Behavior in Children: A Contemporary Sample

Abstract: A broad range of sexual behaviors are exhibited by children who there is no reason to believe have been sexually abused. Their relative frequency is similar to two earlier studies, and this reinforces the validity of these results.

Cited by 191 publications

References 14 publications

Understanding child sexual behavior problems: A developmental psychopathology framework

Understanding child sexual behavior problems: A developmental psychopathology framework

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for young children: clinical considerations

Child Sexual Abuse Evaluations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About