The Relationship Between Self-Reported Levels of Distress of Parents and Victims in Incest Families
Titel:
The Relationship Between Self-Reported Levels of Distress of Parents and Victims in Incest Families
Auteur:
Hanson, Rochelle F. Saunders, Benjamin E. Lipovsky, Julie A.
Verschenen in:
Journal of child sexual abuse
Paginering:
Jaargang 1 (1992) nr. 2 pagina's 49-60
Jaar:
1992-08-17
Inhoud:
A common clinical observation is that a "special" relationship exists between the father/perpetrator and child victim of incest. The purpose of this study was to test empirical indicants that father/perpetrators and child victims are involved in close, enmeshed relationships, specifically concerning symptoms of emotional distress. The primary hypothesis was that stronger associations would be obtained on indicants of distress (i.e., depression, fear, and anxiety) for father-victim dyadic relationships than for mother-victim dyadic relationships. Subjects in this study were 32 families referred from community agencies. Results indicated that victims' self-reported levels of anxiety were significantly related to both maternal and paternal indicants of distress; maternal, rather than paternal, distress was associated with victim's self-reported fears, and no significant associations were obtained between parental distress and victims' self-reported depression. Additionally, no significant differences were noted in the magnitudes of correlations between father/victim and mother/victim levels of distress. In contrast to clinical accounts, the study failed to find evidence of emotional enmeshment between victim and father/perpetrator. Rather, the results suggested that a dynamic of familial enmeshment is present in incest families.