Incest as Child Abuse

Approaches incest as serious and severe form of child abuse. Based on data drawn from two sets of substantiated cases of incest, the book indicates that socio-economic factors, birth order, family configuration factors and personality may predispose certain children to incestuous victimization.

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This book approaches as a serious and severe form of child abuse. While early research tended to portray victims as seductive provocateers, recent studies indicate that birth order, family configuration factors, personality, physical and socio-economic factors may predispose children to risk of incestuous victimization. Incest is associated with anti-social, deviant, illegal and/or self-destructive coping mechanisms in many victims. This book contains data from two sets of substantiated and investigated incest cases taken from official reports by the Department of Welfare in Mississippi and the Department of Welfare in Virginia. It compares the findings from these two data sets to further delineate risk factors and family variables found in incest families. The authors further compare the case studies with previous research findings in order to provide direction for future research, intervention and prevention.