NCJ Number
115731
Date Published
1986
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The family dynamics that occur with incestuous families in which the victim is older than preschool age are examined and considered in terms of their applicability to families in which the victim is a preschooler.
Abstract
The three major theoretical formulations about the dynamics that lead to sexual abuse of child within the family setting are the sociological, the psychodynamic, and the family systems perspectives. Sociological approaches focus on factors like poverty and overcrowded living conditions; psychodynamic explanations focus on traits, historical events, or underlying personality dynamics; and family systems formulations focus on relationship dynamics and family patterns. Social factors that apply to both preschool and school-age victims include stress, social isolation, the opportunity for sexual contact, and a sexualized climate in the home. Marital relationships in these families are also characterized by lack of communication and intimacy and an imbalance in the power status of the husband and wife. As with older children, the preschool victim is usually the oldest daughter in the family and is generally compliant with the father's wishes. However, the preschooler is less like an appropriate adult sexual object than is the older child, generally has little knowledge about sexual activities, and may use developmentally normal words or actions that appear to an adult as a sexual invitation. Despite this evidence, many gaps exist regarding the dynamics of families in which a preschooler is the victim of incest.