What do young children know about sex? Research on the sexual knowledge of children between the ages of 2 and 6 years
Date
2000
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Child Abuse Review
Abstract
We investigated the sexual knowledge of 63 Dutch children in the
age range 2–6 years. Boys and girls were equally represented in
the sample. The children had an average, or above-average IQ and
none of them had any experience of sexual abuse. It was found
that young children have a very limited knowledge of sexuality.
They only possess some basic knowledge of genital differences,
gender identity, sexual body parts and (non-sexual) functions of
the genitals. Knowledge of pregnancy and birth, reproduction and
adult sexual behaviour was found to be very limited and decreased
in the order presented here. Non-sexually abused children appear
to interpret situations that show physical intimacy between adults
and children in terms of their own experiences. None of the children
talked about sexual activities. Older children generally knew more
than younger ones. No significant differences in knowledge
between boys and girls were found. Copyright 2000 John Wiley
& Sons, Ltd.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
International Resources, Netherlands, child sexual knowledge, diagnosis, child development, young children
Citation
Brilleslijper‐Kater, S. N., & Baartman, H. E. (2000). What do young children know about sex? Research on the sexual knowledge of children between the ages of 2 and 6 years. Child Abuse Review: Journal of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, 9(3), 166-182.