This literature review examines the prevalence and nature of mother-son incest as well as society's tendency to deny its prevalence, so as to heighten the awareness of mother-son incest among sex educators and the helping professions.
Mother-son incest is defined as "inappropriate intimacy and/or sexually related contact between the mother and son." It involves the mother satisfying her own emotional, physical, intimacy, and/or sexual needs (Krug, 1989). These behaviors can range from intercourse to innocent excessive hugging and kissing, which may overstimulate and sexually arouse the child. Generally, society does not regard the wide spectrum of behaviors in which mothers engage as incestuous and harmful. If behaviors are not perceived as incest, they are not likely to be reported as such. Sexual abuse by women is further difficult to recognize because mothers may disguise their sexual behaviors as caretaking. There is rarely any physical evidence of the abuse. Children are less likely to report a mother because often she is the only family they have. Moreover, boys are less likely to feel victimized than girls and/or to report the abuse, especially mother-son incest. Males may perceive the sexual behaviors as positive or take the blame. In both instances, the boy is unlikely to reveal the sexual act. The prevalence of mother-son incest will probably remain unknown forever. Yet by denying the existence of the phenomenon and focusing on its infrequency rather than dealing with the potential problem, society contributes to the persistence of this taboo. Sex educators should include discussions on mother-son incest in their curriculum, and therapists should provide clients with a comfortable environment and open the door for dialog about mother-son incest. Therefore, helping professionals should go through personal soul-searching of their own sexual beliefs to identify and encounter their own barriers to recognizing mother-son incest. More in-depth studies should address the lack of knowledge in the field, especially regarding the effects of the incestuous relationships, and develop recommendations for the most efficient intervention techniques for treating victims, survivors, offenders, and partners. 2 tables and 141 references