The use of Sexually Anatomically Detailed dolls in the assessment of sexual abuse

Abstract

The use of sexually anatomically detailed (SAD) dolls in the assessment of child sexual abuse is reviewed, and research which provides evidence relevant to the psychometric properties of SAD dolls with this population is examined. There are a number of unanswered questions concerning the reliability, standardization of administration procedures, adequacy of norms, criterion-oriented validity, incremental validity, external validity, and mechanisms by which this assessment method works, as well as underlying theory predicting differential responding of sexually abused children to SAD dolls. Recommendations for future research are given.