NCJ Number
150388
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1994) Pages: 327-338
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study reports on data obtained from 228 adult women victims of childhood incest who responded to a mailed survey regarding the identity of the first person they disclosed their abuse to, reasons they waited to disclose, reasons they decided to disclose, and responses of the first recipient.
Abstract
The primary finding of this survey was that child victims who disclosed their abuse were most likely to tell adult family members, despite the fact that all had been abused by someone in their family. The data support the idea that disclosing incest to a family member is a very different experience for a child than is disclosing to someone outside their family. The women in this sample had first disclosed their abuse an average of 24 years prior to being surveyed. They waited an average of 12 years after the abuse stopped before first disclosing. Finally, nearly 30 percent of respondents reported repressed memories, but the data was not sufficient to identify factors that lead to memory repression. 4 tables and 25 references