• DOI:10.1007/s10508-017-1144-9
• Corpus ID: 46838503

Children’s Doctor Games and Nudity at Danish Childcare Institutions

@article{Leander2018ChildrensDG,
  title={Children’s Doctor Games and Nudity at Danish Childcare Institutions},
  author={Else-Marie Buch Leander and Per Linds{\o} Larsen and Karen Pallesgaard Munk},
  journal={Archives of Sexual Behavior},
  year={2018},
  volume={47},
  pages={863-875}
}

• Else-Marie Buch Leander, Per Lindsø Larsen, K. Munk
• Published 15 February 2018
• Psychology
• Archives of Sexual Behavior

AbstractThis article presents the first Danish study of the acceptance of children’s nudity and sexuality at Danish childcare institutions. The study revealed an important cultural shift in the attitude toward children’s nudity and sexual games, the so-called doctor games. Although these were quite accepted at Danish childcare institutions until the beginning of this century, the study showed that new, pervasive regulations had been established to control the child’s body and its sexuality. A new discourse revealed that fear of child sexual abuse, in particular, had influenced views of children’s sexual games and nudity and that, at times, the child itself was viewed as a potential threat to other children. This marks a new development in Denmark, internationally known for its broadmindedness, and this article discusses the background to this cultural shift in the institutions, and possible implications for the children.