NCJ Number
124429
Journal
Journal of Marriage and the Family Volume: 51 Dated: (August 1989) Pages: 677-686
Date Published
1989
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Some victims of incest suffer serious adverse effects, whereas the outcome for others appears to be relatively mild.
Abstract
Incestuous situations may differ markedly in severity, duration, and frequency of abuse, victim's degree of self-blame, mother's and perpetrator's postdisclosure responses, and family disruption following disclosure. A symbolic interaction theoretical framework was used to predict the association of seven variables with the self-esteem, depression level, and negative behaviors of 101 female adolescent incest victims. Results revealed that the type of sexual act was the single most powerful predictor of distress levels, with coitus being associated with lower self-esteem, higher levels of depression, and greater numbers of antisocial and self-injurious behaviors than noncoital sexual contact. Negative response by the victim's mother and/or the perpetrator after disclosure and greater self-blame were also found to be related to higher scores on certain of the dependent measures. 3 tables, 34 references.