U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS OF VICTIMS AND SIBLINGS IN INCEST FAMILIES

NCJ Number
145827
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: (1992) Pages: 35-50
Author(s)
J A Lipovsky; B E Saunders; R F Hanson
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the quality of parent-child relationships in families in which incest had occurred by comparing child victims to a group of their nonabused siblings; it also addressed the association between the quality of parent-child relationships and emotional-behavioral disturbance in child victims and siblings.
Abstract
The sample consisted of 36 child victims and 41 nonabused siblings, who were administered several instruments including the Child's Attitude Toward Mother and Child's Attitude Toward Father Scales, the Index of Parental Attitudes, and the Children's Depression Inventory. The results show that, while victims of father-child sexual abuse experience greater problems in their relationships with their father/perpetrators than do their nonabused siblings, the fathers did not recognize the same relationship problems. One-third of the sibling group reported clinically significant relationship problems with their fathers, but no significant problems emerged between victims and mothers, or between victims and siblings and their mothers. 3 tables and 31 references