Sexual Behavior in Dutch and Belgian Children as Observed by Their Mothers

Theo G. M. Sandfort, Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Mothers’ observations (N = 670) of child sexual behavior have been collected using an adapted version of the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory as developed by Friedrich et al. (1991). The ages of the boys (N = 351) and girls (N = 319) observed range from 0 to 11 years. The results show that there is a lot of variance in the frequency with which specific sexual behaviors are observed. The occurrence of specific behaviors varies with age. While some behaviors are observed more frequently as the child gets older, others are observed less frequently. Boys and girls only differ in a few behaviors. The finding that the behavioral items form an internally consistent scale suggests that there is a general tendency to show sexually related behaviors, which is more or less strongly present in children, which might be a precursor of differential levels of sexual desires in adults. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: <getinfo@haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com>]
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationChildhood Sexuality: Normal Sexual Behavior and Development
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages105-116
ISBN (Electronic)9781135788605
ISBN (Print)9780789011992
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013

Publication series

NameChildhood Sexuality: Normal Sexual Behavior and Development

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