NCJ Number
109291
Journal
Social Casework Dated: (February 1987) Pages: 67-74
Date Published
1987
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article reviews literature discussing the problem of father-son incest and the kinds of families in which sexual abuse of male children occurs.
Abstract
The article describes three types of families in which father-son sexual abuse is most likely to occur: homosexual families, promiscuous families, and violent families. Case examples of each type of family are included in the article. Alcohol use is often linked to sexual abuse in these families. The article cites existing studies that describe sons victimized by sexual abuse as experiencing serious adjustment problems that require treatment. No literature exists showing that sexually abused sons show no serious developmental problems. The article describes the role of mothers and wives in families where sons are abused by fathers. A discussion of treatment for the three types of families notes that each type of family requires a different approach. Important variables in treatment include use of force, developmental age of the child, and family dynamics. It is argued that further research is needed in this area of child abuse to better understand the male child's response to the abusive situation and to understand how the nonabusing mother contributes to the incestuous environment. 49 footnotes.