ERIC Number: ED281136
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1986-Aug
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Incestuous Abuse: Licensed and Non-Licensed Clinicians' Attitudes and Reporting.
Kalichman, Seth C.; And Others
Victims of father-daughter incest may develop a number of social and emotional problems which motivate them to seek mental health services. A study was conducted to (1) investigate the patterns of father-daughter incest responsibility attribution by clinicians working within mental health facilities and (2) explore clinicians' tendency to report incest as a specific case of child abuse. Mental health professionals (N=71) at two mental health centers completed a four-part survey consisting of: (1) the Jackson Incest Blame Scale (JIBS); (2) a second measure of responsibility attribution; (3) two open-ended questions on awareness of state mandatory reporting laws and their tendency to report incest; and (4) a brief history of professional background. The results revealed that subjects attributed the greatest degree of responsibility to the father and the least to the daughter on all measures of responsibility attribution, and also attributed a substantial amount of responsibility to the mother. Compared to female clinicians, male clinicians were found to attribute significantly greater responsibility to the mother and to attribute significantly more responsibility to the daughter on the JIBS. Daughter age had a significant effect on the clinicians' attribution of responsibility to the father and daughter. Results also indicated significant differences between licensed and non-licensed clinicians in their knowledge of reporting laws and their tendency to report incest. Further research is needed to examine practitioners' differential treatment of abuse victims depending upon type of abuse involved and victim's age. (NB)
Descriptors: Adolescents, Age Differences, Attribution Theory, Child Abuse, Child Responsibility, Children, Client Characteristics (Human Services), Compliance (Legal), Counselor Attitudes, Daughters, Fathers, Incest, Mental Health Clinics, Parent Child Relationship, Parent Responsibility, Professional Personnel, Sexual Abuse
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (94th, Washington, DC, August 22-26, 1986). Best copy available.