Conducted grounded theory study to explore incest offender perceptions of treatment to generate explanatory theory of sexual abuse treatment process. Findings from theoretical sampling of 20 adult male incest offenders revealed that offenders felt remodeling process occurred as they faced discovery of their abuse and went through treatment.…

Explores the prevalence of multiple abusers and polyincest in a clinical sample of 88 adult women. Results suggest the need for further research on the frequency of multiple abusers among victims of sexual abuse, as well as the ways in which family and social contexts serve as collusive environments for the practice of CSA. (Contains 24 references…

A sample of 66 college women's retrospective reports of childhood sexual abuse was examined in order to identify the coping strategies implemented by victims of intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual abuse at the time of their abuse. Reports indicated that both groups used emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies, with intrafamilial…

Results of surveying 299 professionals concerning their knowledge and attitudes about child sexual abuse and incest showed that the type of sexual activity involved influenced responses; the type of relationship between adult and child, less so. Estimates of incest were low but incest was considered to be harmful to the victim. (Author/DB)

Child victims of incest were judged to have more poorly developed impulse controls, a defensive structure which emphasizes repression, and were significantly more variable in the degree to which they expressed sexual features in the drawings. (Author/CL)

Analysis of interviews with six women with histories of incest and sexual involvement with therapists found three themes: (1) early environment that prohibited the development of a sense of "personhood"; (2) repeated experiences of depersonalization inside and outside of therapy; and (3) adoption of a "surrender pattern" to cope with violations.…

Differences in family trauma, stressors, and dysfunction among adolescent psychiatric inpatients grouped by sexual abuse self-reports were investigated. Family trauma/dysfunction was determined from a composite score derived from the Traumatic Antecedents Scale. The results indicated that sexually abused adolescents reported more family…

Utilizes psychoanalytic and family systems theories to describe dynamics in families with father-daughter incest. The pattern in incest is explained via the concept of projective identification; experiences of victimization are played out in the marriage. The victimized daughter is later triangulated into this marital dynamic, setting the stage…

Assessment of psychopathology in a clinical sample of 30 women with histories of intrafamilial sexual victimization, 22 with extrafamilial sexual victimization, and 30 with no victimization revealed that the intrafamilial and extrafamilial abused groups differed from each other and that the psychological profiles of these 2 groups were…

Reports on a 33-item questionnaire based on Alexander G. Zaphiris's conceptualization of the terminology of sexual mistreatment. Results indicate that mental health counselors (N=300) who encountered sexual abuse, incest, and sexual exploitation agreed with Zaphiris's conceptualization but did not use this system of classification in actual…

Calculated two-point Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory codes for 403 convicted sex offenders, yielding 43 code types. Sex offenders showed more 4-5 and 4-8 profiles than did other prisoners. Rapists showed more profiles associated with assaultiveness. There were significant differences in code frequencies between incestuous biological…

A study compared characteristics of incest between biologic father and daughter families (N=46) and stepfather and stepdaughter families (N=56). Biologic fathers more frequently engaged in full intercourse, more frequently involved multiple daughters, and more frequently began the sexual activity when their daughters were adolescents than did…

This study undertook to identify the characteristics of caretakers who commit child sexual abuse. Among 2,372 cases of founded sexual abuse in Iowa, biologically unrelated caretakers were substantially overrepresented, and male perpetrators greatly outnumbered female perpetrators. Implications for practice are discussed. (Author/TE)

Examined questionnaire completed by 142 adult female incest survivors. Hypothesized that closeness between offender and survivor at time of abuse (perceived incestuousness) was related to adult functioning and this relationship could be explained by level of accomplishment of 3 cognitive coping tasks. Mediational model was not supported because…

Seventy-two prison inmates incarcerated for child sexual abuse were surveyed for their attitudes about the effectiveness of a variety of topics in school-based programs intended to help children protect themselves from abuse. Incestuous and nonincestuous abusers' responses were compared. Results are analyzed. (MSE)