NCJ Number
135009
Editor(s)
M Q Patton
Date Published
1991
Length
254 pages
Annotation
These 14 papers examine the results of 11 research projects focusing on incest and the effectiveness of different intervention and treatment approaches; the studies were conducted between 1985 and 1990 under the Family Sexual Abuse Project in Minnesota.
Abstract
The studies focused on the variables associated with incest including sibling incest and sexual abuse committed by a parent; the effects of removing the offender from the home and providing treatment; and the behavioral effects and lasting problems experienced by sexually abused preschoolers. They also examined the impacts of treatment on victims and families, the appropriate treatment goals and strategies for adolescent offenders, and the role of outpatient psychological treatment for female sex offenders. Other issues studied were the parental and family characteristics that affect the adjustment of child victims, patterns of sexual interaction in incest families, the appropriate working definition of family when dealing with sexual abuse in American Indian cultures, and the adequacy and effects of service and legal systems. Findings revealed that the problem occurs in all kinds of families, that both males and females are victims and perpetrators, and that treatment can be effective. Tables, chapter reference lists, and author biographies