CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE INTERVIEWS - THE USE OF ANATOMIC DOLLS AND THE RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION

Although anatomic dolls have been in use for almost two decades, a num ber of clinicians and legal professionals dispute the reliability of i nformation obtained through their use. This study examines (a) the int errater reliability of information obtained during child sexual abuse assessments that used a clinical assessment interview protocol featuri ng anatomic dolls and (b) the patterns of disclosure and doll demonstr ation across the subject's age, gender and case outcome. Issues of int errater reliability focused on tile comparison of questionnaire respon ses of interviewers with those of unobtrusive observers. Particular it ems examined for reliability included children's specific disclosure s tatements, doll demonstrations associated with specific disclosure sta tements, and those affective/expressive behaviors of children that may be salient considerations in a clinical assessment. Interrater reliab ility was highest for questions addressing children's statements and l owest for those addressing affective/expressive behaviors. Results sug gest specific areas of observation and interpretations that tend to be typically ambiguous as well as those that,nay be more dependent on th e experience and skill of the interviewer.