NCJ Number
119148
Date Published
1989
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Although much is not known about parent-child incest, it seems clear that most incest offenders act only within their own family, that the familial context is an essential if not a contributing factor in incest, and that the child victims suffer not only immediate side effects but also severe, long-term consequences.
Abstract
Despite the increased research on this subject, many areas of dispute on the subject of incest still exist. Among the more important questions is whether the incestuous father is motivated primarily to have sex with his child or as an aspect of his sexual interest in general or whether the sexual abuse is a result of certain dynamic or interactive factors. Estimates of the incidence vary widely. Analyses of the dynamics involved note that although individual families vary, several common theme are often present. One particularly distressing long-term effect of incest is that some unknown number of victims will grow up to become sexual offenders themselves. Treatment should reach all members of the family, must take into account the criminal and addictive nature of the abusive behavior, and active and directive crisis intervention. The child victim should receive intense supportive measures followed by multimodal treatment by a multidisciplinary team. Group and family therapy are the most common forms of treatment. 125 references.