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Abstract
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Forty women who had had incestuous relationships with their fathers during childhood were compared with 20 women whose fathers had been seductive but not overtly incestuous. More of the women who had experienced overt incest reported that their fathers had been violent and that their mothers had been chronically ill, disabled, or battered. Untreated depression, alcoholism, or psychosis or repeated involuntary childbearing were most commonly cited as causes of impaired maternal functioning. Women who had experienced overt incest had a higher rate of running away, suicide attempts, and pregnancy during adolescence than the comparison group. The authors suggest that clinicians be alert to the possibility of incest in families which contain a violent father, a disabled mother, or an "acting-out" adolescent girl.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
This study by Herman and Hirschman was designed to identify family risk factors associated with the development of overt incest between fathers and daughters.
METHODOLOGY:
The authors conducted a primary analysis of quasi-experimental, cross-sectional data on 40 victims of father-daughter incest and 20 victims of father seduction. The two groups were matched on age, social class and religious orientation. All women were Caucasian, with a mean age of 27.7 years for the incest group and a mean age of 26.8 years for the comparison group. Approximately 45% were Catholic, 40% were Protestant and 15% came from Jewish families. The sample consisted of working class families (approx. 50%) and middle class families (50%). Subjects were psychotherapy outpatients. The seduction comparison group was chosen, by the authors, as a means of defining the factors most frequently associated with the development of incest. It was hoped that protection factors, which would inhibit the development of incest in vulnerable families, would also be identified.
Incest was defined by the authors as "any physical contact between father and daughter that had to be kept a secret." (Common examples were oral-genital contact, genital touching and masturbation). Clear sexually motivated behaviors that did not include physical contact or secrecy requirements were classified by the authors as seductive. The most frequently reported behaviors were peeping, exhibitionism, fathers giving daughters access to pornographic material, and demands that the daughter reveal her sexual activities.
Subjects took part in semi-structured interviews designed to elicit information about: the subject's developmental history; current functioning; descriptions of family members from one's own family of origin, and a comprehensive description of family interactions and roles. The interviews lasted 2-3 hours.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Fathers of the women in both groups were described as the dominant parent. Incestuous fathers more often used physical force to dominate their families (chi-square=3.83; p<.05). Many mothers were reported to have been beaten by the father and, often, siblings were included in the beatings. Incest daughters generally escaped being beaten. The authors found no significant differences between the two groups on alcohol abuse. However, 35% of incest women described their fathers as problem drinkers. The authors reported that violence was the only characteristic that distinguished the two groups.
Mothers in the incestuous families were reported to have been described as seriously ill (chi-square=7.2; p<0.01), disabled, or absent from the family home (chi-square=8.10, p<0.01) more often. Mothers in the incestuous families were reported to have had more children to care for (mean No.=3.6) compared with the comparison group (mean No.=2.85).
The authors reported that in families where the mother was disabled or ill, fathers resisted assuming parental responsibilities. The eldest daughter was expected to assume the role that the mother would otherwise fulfil. Forty five percent of women in the incest group reported undertaking a maternal role compared with 5% in the comparison group (chi-square=8.10; began p<0.01). The authors postulated that incestuous relations with fathers developed as an extension of the maternal family role. The mean age of the daughter at the time of the onset of incest was reported to be 9.4 years and generally lasted 3.3 years. The majority of women did not disclose the incest until they had left the family home. Twenty eight percent of incest victims' sisters had also been molested. It was reported that fathers ceased having sexual relations with the eldest daughter, and began victimizing the younger sister(s), when the eldest sister reached adolescence and began to rebel. Women in this sample related that their brothers had not been molested by their fathers. However, brothers were reported to have been physically abused by their fathers and were developing abusive behavior themselves. One woman was molested by both her brother and her father. Six women reported being victimized by other family members.
The authors found that during adolescence more women in the incest group had attempted to run away from home (33% versus 5%), had attempted suicide (38% versus 5%) and had experienced teenage pregnancies (45% versus 15%). There was a trend towards early marriage and parenthood among women in the incest group.
The authors reported that in families where the mother was unusually powerless (e.g., battered, physically disabled, mentally ill or overwhelmed with child caring responsibilities) the risk that incest could develop was greater. The authors stated that if the above risk factors were present in a family, an assessment of the family's ability to adapt to these stresses and the fathers ability and willingness to assume the maternal role, was necessary. All daughters in a family where incest had existed should be considered at risk and high risk populations should be questioned regarding sexual abuse in the family.
The authors argued that competent, nurturing mothers who do not submit to abuse and who are able to maintain a balance of power within the family would be more likely to protect their daughters from the incidence of incest.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors recommended that in the rehabilitation of incestuous families, the focus should be on strengthening the mother's role. It was suggested that treatments for incestuous fathers include programs related to those that treat men who batter their wives.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Domestic Violence Causes
Domestic Violence Risk Factors
Domestic Violence Offender
Domestic Violence Victim
Female Victim
Male Offender
Male Violence
Parent Offender
Father Offender
Father-Daughter Incest
Adult Male
Adult Offender
Adult Parent
Adult Violence
Child Female
Child Victim
Child Abuse Causes
Child Abuse Risk Factors
Child Abuse Offender
Child Abuse Victim
Child Sexual Abuse Causes
Child Sexual Abuse Offender
Child Sexual Abuse Risk Factors
Child Sexual Abuse Victim
Daughter Victim
Incest Causes
Incest Offender
Incest Risk Factors
Incest Victim
Sexual Assault Causes
Sexual Assault Offender
Sexual Assault Risk Factors
Sexual Assault Victim
Parent Child Relations
Family Relations
Adult Substance Use
Parent Substance Use
Offender Characteristics
Victim Characteristics
Offender Substance Use
Language: en |