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Adult Survivors of Sibling Sexual Abuse
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This report outlines research into sibling sexual abuse incidents as recorded by police forces across England and Wales and does not include incidents dealt with by social services, the NHS, or schools where cases were not treated as a crime. This is the first piece of research of its kind and the first to attempt to gain a national picture of sibling sexual abuse as recorded by the police.
The purpose of the research was:
a) to identify whether all police forces were recording specific incidents of sibling sexual abuse and
b) to gain insight into the prevalence of sibling sexual abuse compared with other intrafamilial abuse and c) where possible to analyse the gender and age of the child who was harmed and the child who harmed.
A FOI was submitted to each of the 43 police forces across England and Wales. Data was received from 27 police forces – in various formats, however only data from 21 of the 27 police forces was clear enough to be reliably used; 14 police forces refused to provide the data – for a number of reasons; and 2 police forces did not reply by the time of publication of this report – although some of these did acknowledge the request.
The term ‘sibling sexual dynamics’ (SSD) describes (in this study) a continuum of childhood sexual behaviours that are inconsistent with age‐appropriate curiosity and can include abuse (SSA). The present qualitative study, based on 20 semi‐structured interviews, conducts an analysis via constructivist grounded theory on the perspectives of adults who, as children in the Orthodox Jewish community, experienced sexual interactions with one or more of their siblings. Ultimately, the goal is to deepen the understanding of the religio‐cultural aspects of SSD in this cultural context. The findings reveal three main themes: (1) taboos, both those relating to intrafamilial sexual encounters and the religious taboo around sexuality in general; (2) family hierarchic dynamics, including gender‐based hierarchies; and (3) religious prohibition, a concept that the participants perceive as influencing their modes of thought and logic. The study highlights the need for practitioners to attend to the double ambiguity arising from the sibling and religious contexts. Additionally, we suggest that distinguishing between religious and interpretative socio‐cultural factors may provide practitioners with a path to create a dialogue with clients, individuals and religious leaders within the community around issues that may constitute risk for sibling sexual acts and abuse.
Disclosure rates of child sexual abuse (CSA) to both social supports and law enforcement are concerningly low, although more research is needed to understand factors that impact disclosure. Thus, the present study examined rates of informal (i.e., to a social support) and formal (i.e., to law enforcement) disclosure of CSA, as well as victims' self‐reported experiences with telling others about their own abuse and their perceptions of the overall advantages and disadvantages of disclosure. In all, 76 undergraduate women (who collectively experienced 105 instances of abuse) participated in a semi‐structured interview regarding their history of CSA. Results revealed that approximately 50% of cases involved the victim informally disclosing, and only 10% of cases being formally disclosed to authorities. The quantitative and qualitative data shed light on a number of factors that lead victims to not disclose, as well as the identification of factors that may promote a victim to share their abuse with others. The implications for improved prevention and responses to CSA disclosure are discussed.
Child sexual abuse committed by a parent (incest) is related to particularly severe physical and psychological symptoms across the life span. Incest is associated with low self-esteem, self-loathing, feelings of contamination, worthlessness, and helplessness, as well as somatization and low self-efficacy. A child’s negative constructions often are attempts to derive some meaning that justifies the incest, such as, “it is because of my badness that it happens to me.” Survival often involves voluntary or involuntary disconnection from self, others, and the environment, or compartmentalization of the traumatic experiences. Dissociation with survivors of child abuse, especially when the perpetrators are from within the child’s caregiver system, can be accounted for by the concept of betrayal trauma. However, with few exceptions, little appears in the literature integrating dissociation, betrayal trauma, complex trauma, and incest for the purpose of treatment. Our purpose of this review to examine the relationship between trauma-related dissociation, betrayal trauma, and complex trauma, and how understanding these concepts and their relationship can inform the treatment of incest.
This article contributes to the still limited analysis of gender and sexuality in the exploration of HIV infection in the Caribbean. In Trinidad and Tobago, child sexual abuse was identified as a prevalent behavior. This motivated a gendered exploration of the sociocultural factors underlying child sexual abuse and the link with HIV. Using a qualitative action research methodology, researchers sought to understand the patterns of behavior, sociocultural and gendered meanings, and significance of child sexual abuse; to sensitize stakeholders to these issues; and to develop multidisciplinary community-based interventions and policies. This article reports on the analysis of data collected from the interventions carried out as part of the action research methodology, as well as a range of national and community-specific action research activities including ethnographic case studies, national stakeholders meetings, and a study of service providers. It provides a nuanced understanding of the meanings, underlying assumptions, perceptions, and taboos associated with child sexual abuse in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as new ways of understanding child sexual abuse in the Caribbean. Findings showed that the social and gender context for child sexual abuse involves several interconnecting factors located within a framework of gender ideologies and expressions, sexual expectations and behaviors, and social norms based on patriarchal values. These findings would be of significance for the prevention of child sexual abuse and the associated HIV risk in Trinidad and Tobago, and the management of victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
There is consensus in child sexual abuse (CSA) literature with respect to the central role of the disclosure process. However, CSA disclosure is challenging for all children, those who have experienced intrafamilial abuse. In recent years, there has been growing research into sibling sexual abuse (SSA), which is a prevalent and severe, but also the least studied form of intrafamilial CSA. This study was designed to advance theory on SSA disclosure by examining the narratives of adults who have disclosed the abuse and discuss it with reference to the perceived role of disclosure recipients—including perpetrating siblings, parents, and professionals. In-depth interviews with 25 adults were conducted and analyzed thematically. The results highlighted the significance of disclosure for survivors, as well as the central roles played by significant others in the process, including the offending and nonoffending siblings, parents, and professionals. The discussion addresses the important role of the family system in the disclosure narratives. The conclusions point to the need of all actors taking part in the disclosure itself, as well as in the survivors’ lives postdisclosure, to become “better” disclosure recipients by acknowledging survivors’ needs. This in turn would also empower survivors to disclose their stories and cope with the potential familial and societal ramifications of their disclosure.
Sibling violence is an under‐researched field, and the impact of adolescent family violence (AFV) in particular on siblings is not yet well understood. The Australian study Investigating Adolescent Family Violence in Victoria elicited responses from siblings who had experienced AFV from their brothers or sisters, as well as reflections from parents and practitioners on the difficulties of addressing AFV directed towards siblings. This article explores characteristics of sibling violence identified in this study, impacts of the violence on siblings, parents, and families, and responses to sibling violence in Victoria, Australia. Siblings described experiencing severe physical, psychological, and emotional violence, and beyond this recounted a range of difficulties such as not being believed by the adults in their lives; the violence being dismissed as normal sibling behavior; an inability to access support services without the help of parents or other adults; sadness and distress at the loss of the sibling relationship; and resentment towards parents for their perceived inaction against the violence. Practitioners highlighted the dearth of services and resources available for siblings affected by AFV, and the inadequacies of current Child Protection responses. This research sheds light on the hidden issue of sibling violence and highlights the need for nuanced responses rather than a one‐size‐fits‐all approach.
There are a multitude of behaviors that child sexual abusers use to ‘groom’ children into becoming vulnerable to abuse. In this study of 277 adult survivors of child sexual abuse, participants advised the many ways they were groomed into being abused by up to three perpetrators. The effects of three categories of grooming (Verbal Coercion, Grooming that used Drugs/Alcohol, and Threatening/Violent Grooming) were examined for their effects on trauma symptom severity. Using Linear Regressions, each grooming category had a significant predictive effect on trauma symptom severity. Multiple Linear Regressions revealed that for most trauma symptoms, Threatening/Violent Grooming was a significant predictor of trauma symptom severity, even when other more well-known variables were controlled for (including age at onset of abuse, relationship to perpetrator, and severity of abuse), with a notable exception of verbal coercion as a significant predictor of sexual problems in adulthood (i.e. not satisfied, low drive, overactivity, confusion, bad thoughts or feelings).
The term sibling sexual abuse (SSA) captures a broad continuum of sexual behaviors in childhood and adolescence that exceed the threshold of age-appropriate curiosity. Based on a sample of 15 adult survivors of SSA, this qualitative study examines experiences of relationships with perpetrating siblings during childhood and adulthood. Thematic analysis of semistructured qualitative interviews reveals two continua that characterize SSA survivors’ lives: the “reciprocity–coercion” continuum in childhood and the “distance–closeness” continuum in adulthood. Findings reveal that regardless of how the relationships were perceived in childhood, most participants chose to distance themselves from their perpetrating siblings as adults. Thus, even in cases where the relationships were considered mutual during childhood, reconceptualization of the abuse in adulthood led to renewed understanding of its meanings and implications for the survivors’ personal lives. Research findings underscore the need to further study the experiences of SSA survivors to better inform policy makers, therapists, and welfare workers, to address the complex and multifaceted nature of SSA, and to provide adequate interventions to survivors and other family members.
Sibling sexual abuse (SSA) is a continuum of childhood sexual behaviors that do not fit the category of age-appropriate curiosity. Although SSA may be the most prevalent and longest lasting form of intrafamilial sexual abuse—as well as the one with the worst repercussions—it is also the least reported, studied, and treated. Based on 100 mostly religious Jewish families referred to a child advocacy center (CAC) in Jerusalem from 2010 to 2015, this qualitative study examines SSA characteristics, dynamics, and perceptions of deviancy in multisibling subsystems. The findings are based on an analysis of case summaries, demographic charts, and documented conversations between social workers and siblings. Qualitative document analysis reveals two types of SSA dynamics: “identified perpetrator” and “routine relationship,” the latter being a particularly understudied dynamic that challenges common stereotypes. We also found sibling perceptions of deviancy to vary along a continuum from deviant to completely normative. These perceptions are affected by the type of dynamics as well as by factors associated with disclosure. Our findings highlight the importance of studying the lived experiences of children involved in SSA as an input with critical policy, treatment, and research implications. Interventions must be adjusted to the family system and sibling subsystem’s perceptions and needs to avoid treatment that exacerbates the crisis already experienced by the family. Common assumptions—there must be a “perpetrator”; abuse is necessarily traumatic; and treatment should focus on the trauma—are challenged by the routine type. We conclude that treatment should account for the complexity of SSA by shedding these assumptions and considering the sibling subsystem as an autonomous unit within the large family.
Sibling sexual abuse is a far more common manifestation of family
violence than is often recognized. Researchers agree that it has received
less attention than other forms of child abuse trauma despite the fact that
good evidence suggests it is no less injurious than child sexual abuse
when a parent or other adult is the perpetrator. This paper describes a
relational, strengths-based approach to psychotherapy with adult
survivors of sibling sexual abuse guided by trauma informed
principles.Cultural considerations are discussed as well as an overview of the
clinical research on sibling sexual abuse and its harmful effects. Clinical
case material, treatment strategies and a case illustration demonstrate
therapeutic principles of the approach in action.
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This book describes an integrative, strengths-based approach to individual and family psychotherapy guided by the effects of abuse trauma on the development of sibling relationships. It fills a void in the training and education of family violence professionals and validates sibling experiences as an important part of human development. The second edition has been revised and updated to reflect more than 15 years of advances in the child maltreatment field. Current essential information on sibling development is provided to clarify the context in which sibling relationships unfold, and research on sibling relationships throughout the life course is incorporated into a clinical approach for treating victims and survivors. This second edition, much like the first, focuses primarily on assessment and treatment. Rather than choosing to concentrate solely on sibling sexual abuse or assault, the book applies a more inclusive, integrative approach to the study of sibling abuse trauma. The clinical material and experiences portrayed take a trauma-informed systemic orientation and represent children, families, and adults who may not have been described adequately elsewhere. Concrete illustrations and extended session transcripts demonstrate therapeutic principles in action. Whether you incorporate these findings into your clinical practice or become inspired to conduct your own research, Sibling Abuse Trauma will improve your understanding of how to treat and evaluate individuals and families with sibling abuse-related concerns.
Empirical research on sibling abuse has been overwhelmingly absent from the professional literature. This exploratory study used a survey instrument to investigate the question of whether the experience of sibling abuse influences the sense of well-being in college students. A linear multiple regression analysis indicated that experience with sibling abuse, either as a survivor or as a perpetrator, does have an impact on perception of well-being. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
Sibling abuse has been studied much less extensively than other forms of family violence in the United States; moreover, research on how sibling abuse is viewed in different ethnic-minority groups has been rare. Convenience samples of Native American (n = 25), Latino/Hispanic (n = 45), African American (n = 30), European American (n = 78), Asian Pacific American (n = 31), and South Asian American (n = 29) participants responded to an open-ended survey requesting examples of extreme, moderate, and mild sibling abuse. Asian Pacific Americans listed proportionately more instances of physical aggression in their examples of mild abuse and of psychological aggression in their examples of severe abuse—an inverse of the pattern in the other groups. South Asian Americans mentioned beating and hitting significantly more often than other groups. In addition, European American participants gave the most instances of sexual abuse. Gender differences were found, with women mentioning physical aggression between siblings more often than men as extreme abuse.
This paper examines the thematic treatment issues presented in a small, clinical practice setting by eight women aged 56 through
69 who were sexually abused by their brothers/stepbrothers during childhood and seeking therapy for issues dealing with a
terminally ill and/or dying parent. The reemergence of traumatic issues and family dynamics with aging parents and end-of-life-issues,
dealing with a previously abusive brother, and treatment recommendations on managing reactions, affect, and boundaries are
presented.
KeywordsSibling sexual abuse-Aging parents-Older sexual abuse survivors
Society's awareness of sibling incest and assault, and its response, has lagged behind other child abuse issues and concerns. In comparison with parent–child abuse, intersibling abuse is generally underreported by parents, teachers, mental health professionals, and the community. Child Protective Services and the legal system are reluctant to accept and respond to sibling abuse reports that are filed. This article reviews an integrative, multidimensional approach for conducting assessment and psychotherapy with children and families where sibling abuse has occurred. Clinical examples and selected research results are included to illustrate fundamentals of treating sibling incest and assault victims and their families. Treatment for sibling incest and assault requires multidisciplinary cooperation and usually, the coordination of services among several provider systems. Like child abuse treatment in general, it is complex and challenging work that requires ongoing specialized training and ability.
A framework is proposed for a more systematic understanding of the effects of child sexual abuse. Four traumagenic dynamics—traumatic sexualization, betrayal, stigmatization, and powerlessness—are identified as the core of the psychological injury inflicted by abuse. These dynamics can be used to make assessments of victimized children and to anticipate problems to which these children may be vulnerable subsequently. Implications for research are also considered.
This article discusses the COVID-19 crisis’s impact on inappropriate and abusive sexual behavior among siblings (IASBAS) and how perceptions of this phenomenon affect construction of the post-crisis reality in Israel. Sibling sexual abuse, the most frequent type of sexual assault against children, does not occur in a vacuum; it is affected by the environment in which children live and develop. The pandemic created situational risk factors and a “germination substrate” for risk of abuse in “normative” families and escalation in families in which it had previously occurred. The first part of the article, based on research data and reports, reviews the objective reality that emerged in Israel and worldwide due to the pandemic. Part two describes situational risk factors converging to a new dangerous situation for children’s abuse and victimization that resulted from this crisis: domestic violence (direct, indirect, and sexual), at-risk children returning and staying at home, increased exposure to online sexual content, parental dysfunction, and lack of formal and informal support sources. These risk factors are mutually reinforcing, thus exacerbating the risk of sexual assault among siblings. Part three describes the etiology characterizing the complex phenomenon of IASBAS. Part four discusses the significance of the risk factors at various stages and conditions for its development, identification, prevention or preventing escalation, and providing professional support, all of which affect the post-crisis reality. Part five offers recommendations for prevention, detection, and intervention that help deal with the reality “the day after.”
Background:
'Harmful sexual sibling behavior' is a term used in this study to refer to childhood sexual behaviors, including abuse (SSA), that are inconsistent with the category of age-appropriate curiosity. Although SSA may be the most prevalent and longest-lasting form of intrafamilial sexual abuse, it is the least reported, studied, and treated.
Objective:
This study aims to deepen our understanding of the sexual characteristics and dynamics of such behavior, as perceived by those involved.
Participants and setting:
Twenty adults from the Orthodox community in Israel, who experienced sexual interactions with one or more of their siblings, were recruited as participants.
Methods:
This qualitative, constructivist, grounded-theory study was based on semi-structured interviews with 20 adults.
Results:
Four types of sexual dynamics were revealed: an "abusive dynamic," "mutual relations," "sexual routine," and "incidental," with the latter stemming from a new understanding that deepens our knowledge of the subject. The participants discussed the broad, long-term consequences and life-long psychological implications of each dynamic and the coexistence of these dynamics. The results also reveal two cultural dimensions of the participants' perception of the sexual acts: "lack of sexual knowledge" and "the perception that all religious prohibitions are of equal severity."
Conclusions:
The findings highlight the importance of adapting interventions to the siblings' perceptions and avoiding treatment that exacerbates their complex situation. We employ the concepts of dynamics and dimension in describing the phenomenon rather than continuum. The study also highlights the importance of understanding relevant religious-cultural factors.
Background
The sibling subsystem is a central and potentially protective factor for children. Nevertheless, in the context of child abuse, it remains surprisingly understudied.
Objective
The current study was designed to examine how children referred to a forensic interview following suspected physical abuse experienced and perceived the sibling subsystem.
Participants and setting
The sample included 60 forensic interviews with children, aged 4 to 14. Each child had at least one sibling and referred to this sibling in the context of the abuse they experienced.
Methods
Thematic analysis was carried out on the narratives provided by the children. Several steps were taken to ensure the trustworthiness of the study, with four criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
Results
The main theme identified was physical abuse as a familial routine. This abusive routine was sometimes perceived as normal and sometimes traumatic, with descriptions of fear and physical pain. The children addressed the various figures in this abusive routine. When these horrific daily experiences were elaborated on, the children often captured the sibling subsystem as a source of security, comfort and protection. Moreover, the children's language often communicated the siblings' bond, referring to “we” and “us.” Within a few narratives, a split between the siblings was identified, which appeared to be a strategy of self-protection by going against their siblings.
Conclusion
The current findings join the recent accumulating evidence with respect to the centrality of the sibling subsystem in the experiences and consequences of child abuse. It is imperative to advance practitioners' knowledge and interventions to better adapt to the central role of the sibling subsystem in the context of child abuse.
Although sibling sexual abuse (SSA) is one of the most common forms of sexual abuse, it has been particularly neglected in previous research. Hence, characteristics of this form of abuse and its longer term implications are not well understood. The aims of the current review were to precisely characterize the phenomenon of SSA and to condense the implications known to date of SSA on survivors. We included 15 studies with a total sample size of 14,680 individuals. Our results indicate that SSA has some unequivocal features such as an early onset, an extended duration and frequency, and a particularly high intensity (i.e., involvement of coercion, force, superiority, and manipulation). Our findings also revealed that SSA is linked to later depression, anxiety, impaired self-esteem, and sexual functioning. The findings of the current review suggest that (1) SSA is common, (2) SSA has various negative effects on survivors’ mental health, and that (3) SSA and its implications have been and to date are marginalized in research and practice. Results are discussed with a special focus on clinical implications.
Background
Child sexual abuse (CSA) studies have greatly contributed to theory, policy, and practice worldwide. Surprisingly, although trauma studies in particular have highlighted the importance of peritraumatic responses to trauma, this aspect is underdeveloped in the context of child abuse studies.
Objective
The current study profiles the peritraumatic responses of children to abuse, based on adults’ retrospective accounts of their childhood experiences.
Participants & methods
180 adults who retrospectively reported having been sexually abused in childhood completed a questionnaire that included four categories of common peritraumatic responses to CSA: automatic, behavioral, cognitive and affective.
Results
Latent class analysis revealed a number of classes in each of the questionnaire’s four categories. Within each, classes were identified and the relationships within and between them, as well as with abuse characteristics were explored.
Conclusions
Existing theory with respect to peritraumatic responses to trauma, and to CSA in particular, should be reconsidered based on the multifaceted model proposed in the current study. The findings point to a previously unrecognized peritraumatic response to trauma: numbness and seeking ways to survive ongoing abuse. Finally, recommendations are provided for incorporating the current model in both prevention and intervention efforts in the CSA field.
Understanding the pathways and circumstances of juvenile sexual offending is of utmost importance. However, juvenile sexual offenders (JSO) represent an especially diverse group of individuals, and several categorizations have been proposed to obtain more homogeneous subgroups. Victim age-based and family relation-based categorizations are particularly promising because they seem theoretically and clinically relevant. Empirical results however are still inconsistent, and most studies have not considered these two dimensions jointly. The first goal of this study was to further examine the value of sub-grouping JSO according to the age of their victim. A second goal was to determine the supplementary value, if any, of considering sibling incest. Based on a sample of 351 male JSO, it was first confirmed that sexual abuse of children was more strongly related to asocial-ity (social skill deficits) than sexual abuse of peers, the latter being more closely associated with antisociality (general delinquency). The relevance of considering mixed-type JSO (with both child and peer victims) separately was also confirmed. More importantly, multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that adding sibling incest to the equation was useful. JSO of intra-familial child were significantly more likely to have been victimized during their own childhood compared to JSO with extra-familial victims. Nevertheless, adolescents who had committed sibling incest obtained middle ground results on most variables (except for crime severity), suggesting that they constitute a distinct but not extreme, subgroup. This study confirmed the utility of using both the age and the family relation with the victim in characterizing juvenile sexual offending.
The research–practice relationship enables practitioners and non-academic researchers to contribute in creating knowledge and form partnerships with academic researchers. Despite the availability of conceptual frameworks and literature describing relations between researchers and practitioners in several disciplines, including social work, descriptions of the inner workings of these relations in the area of child sexual abuse are lacking. The present article presents such a relationship between researchers from a school of social work and practitioners from a Child Advocacy Centre (CAC) in Israel, in the specific context of studying sibling sexual abuse (SSA). It highlights the unique aspects of the relationship and analyses its development based on the first three stages proposed by Jones and Sherr. Specifically, (i) the practitioners-as-subjects stage, characterised by researched dominance, focused on document analysis of SSA cases; (ii) the engaged research stage, characterised by rapport between the two parties, developed in focus groups with CAC staff and (iii) the practitioner-involved research, characterised by joint creative work, included co-authoring a booklet for professionals dealing with sexual abuse cases. The article concludes with a discussion of the necessary conditions for and benefits of forming such relationships in the context of studying complex phenomena such as SSA.
Sibling sexual abuse (SSA) is considered to be the most common form of intrafamilial sexual abuse. Understanding of the prevalence of SSA, however, is hindered by issues around disclosure, referral, and acknowledgement of guilt (whether through an admission or a guilty verdict). This chapter begins with an outline of what we know about the prevalence of SSA and will overview some of the key issues in understanding its prevalence.
Our understanding of the dynamics of sibling sexual abuse is further hindered by the complexities of SSA. Both offenders and victims are young, and families where SSA is disclosed report higher levels of dysfunction, including previous victimisation. Literature suggests that even if the abuse is disclosed, the criminal justice system may never know the full story of the offending. Despite this, evidence suggests that SSA is typically not an isolated incident, but a secretive and ongoing pattern of sexual abuse. This chapter also describes some key dynamics of SSA.
Sibling abuse is a global problem, arguably the most prevalent form of family violence, and as harmful as other familial abuse. There is evidence internationally that sibling abuse often goes unrecognized or is minimized by professionals from education, health and social care. The responses of social workers are of particular interest as key decision makers in child welfare, yet research has focused on concerns about parental abuse rather than risks presented by children within a family. This paper presents findings from research examining social worker decision-making in cases involving sibling sexual behavior. Interviews were conducted across six Scottish local authorities with twenty-one social workers having responsibility for such cases. Forty-five hours of in-depth interviews regarding 21 families and 54 children involved in sibling sexual behavior were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. The study found that social workers frame sibling relationships as non-abusive and of intrinsic value, and when faced with contradictory evidence engage in a number of mechanisms to maintain this frame. This paper makes a significant contribution to the sociology of siblinghood and provides an explanation that is more profound than existing theories for the internationally recognized problem of the marginalization of sibling abuse.
Background:
Despite being a complex phenomenon with potentially significant short- and long-term consequences for all involved including siblings, parents and the family as a whole, sibling sexual abuse (SSA) has not received sufficient empirical and clinical attention. Practitioners are often left to cope without appropriate guidance.
Objective:
This study aimed to compare staff perspectives and experiences of working with sibling sexual abuse cases across two Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) within different countries and different cultural and legal contexts.
Participants and setting:
Participants were staff members from two Child Advocacy Centers: one in Jerusalem, Israel, and the other in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Methods:
This qualitative cross-cultural comparative study analyzes staff experiences of sibling sexual abuse cases based upon 14 focus groups, in Jerusalem (N = 7) and Montgomery County (N = 7).
Results:
Findings reveal that both CACs focused on parents, the parents' negative emotional responses to SSA, and the impossible nature of their predicament. The Montgomery County CAC tended to emphasize the needs of the victim while being attuned to the legal proceedings, whereas the Jerusalem CAC emphasized supportive therapeutic responses for the whole family.
Conclusions:
The differences across the two Child Advocacy Centers are related to the different legal and cultural contexts of the two CACs and underscore the need to review what may be the most appropriate policy and practice response to SSA that does not itself cause further harm.
Background:
Intrafamilial sexual abuse (SA) is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can experience and comes with lifelong effects. Considering the increase in the number of children in orphanages due to intrafamilial SA in Turkey, addressing this problem in more detail is crucial. For this reason, this study aims to determine the characteristics of intrafamilial SA cases.
Method:
In this study, the characteristics of 216 intrafamilial SA cases who were referred to the Ankara Child Advocacy Center between 2010 and 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The ages of the victims varied between 3 and 17.
Results:
The most common identity of the perpetrator was the biological father (50%), biological sibling (14.4%), stepfather (13.9%), and parent's boyfriend (12%). Of the perpetrators, 6.5% were female and 93.5% were male. Of the victims, 3.3% had a history of pregnancy. In addition, one out of four victims (27.3%) had experienced physical violence from their parents, the socioeconomic level of the majority of the families (90.2%) was low, the education levels of their parents were low (high-school-level education and below), and one of two families (52.6%) experienced domestic violence. Furthermore, the perpetrators in the biological intrafamilial SA group exhibited similar behavior with the sociolegal group in terms of penetration, and the age distribution of the victims was similar.
Conclusions:
Consequently, this study has revealed a lot of new information about intrafamilial SA cases. These findings will hopefully be useful in identifying and preventing victims at risk for intrafamilial SA.
Background:
Sibling sexual abuse (SSA) is a continuum of childhood sexual behaviors that do not fit age-appropriate curiosity. SSA may be the most prevalent, longest lasting form of intrafamilial sexual abuse - and the least reported, studied and treated.
Objective:
This exploratory qualitative study examined the experience of intervention with SSA survivors from the perspective of mental health professionals, and explored their major therapeutic challenges.
Participants and setting:
The sample consisted of 20 Jewish Israeli mental health professionals working in private clinics or public social welfare services who had experience with SSA.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews focusing on the characteristics of SSA events, perceptions about the effects of abuse, intervention priorities and therapeutic challenges compared to other types of child abuse.
Results:
Professionals working with SSA survivors are preoccupied with the need to provide them with physical and emotional protection, as well as to help them process the abuse narrative. They also find themselves dealing with survivors who do not experience themselves as victims despite external evidence of abuse, or with the need to reconcile their perception of the sexual relationship as mutual, as opposed to the formal requirement to differentiate between "offender" and "victim". In either case, the reality of these survivors can be just as painful as in other SSA cases.
Conclusions:
The complexity of SSA calls for unique intervention skills, including working with survivor narratives that do not fit the victim/offender dichotomy on one hand and that do not minimize the potentially harsh consequences of SSA on the other.
Written by contributors from around the world, The International Handbook of Stepfamilies: Policy and Practice in Legal, Research, and Clinical Environments is a collection of research, legal, and clinical recommendations that fills a growing need for complex, re-formed families. Using the information in this book, which includes contemporary research and its implications, you will be able to consider stepfamilies in an international context. Understand the issues that clinicians face when they work with stepfamilies, both before and after formation, and gain more knowledge about this topic as the rates of family reformation increase.
This thoroughly updated edition provides a reliable resource for the assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of juvenile sexual offenders. Through exploring fundamental beliefs about juvenile sexual offenders, Phil Rich gives insight into the underlying problems, behaviors, and factors that contribute to sexual offending, while encouraging practitioners to develop new ideas and methods to meet their specific clinical orientations and experiences. Useful for both new practitioners and seasoned professionals, this book is timely and indispensable for social workers, counselors, therapists, probation officers, and other professionals who work with juvenile sexual offenders.
Incest is a taboo and a neglected social problem that has only started to receive significant attention in the United States in the last 30 years. Sibling sexual abuse has been identified as the most common form of incest; however, the origins and scope of incest are still not well understood and existing research literature is laden with definitional inconsistencies, data limitations, and inadequate research methodology. The discussion to follow in this chapter moves beyond common discourse of sibling incest as "normal" sexual exploration and explores the phenomenon as a complex combination of biological and sociological concerns and knowledge of the psychological child development.
Mental health counselors are becoming more aware of sibling abuse in all of its forms. The literature addressing the nature of sibling abuse is increasing; however, there is little written about methods of treatment. Family systems theory as a framework for understanding the common family dynamics observed in families where there is sibling abuse is discussed. Lastly this paper presents a case example using family systems theory as a framework for conceptualizing and developing treatment.
Great advances have been made regarding the study of child sexual assault since the 1970’s. In spite of these advances, the gravity of sibling sexual abuse has largely been overlooked in sexual abuse literature. This paper uses peer reviewed research to highlight some of the major issues and unique long-term consequences associated with sibling sexual abuse. Specifically, an altered version of the Conflict Tactics Scale Straus (Journal of Marriage and the Family 41:75-88, 1979) and The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Rosenberg (1965) were used to explore the long-term impact on self-esteem for those having experience with sibling sexual abuse as a child. In addition, clinical considerations for working with survivors, offenders, and families are provided.
During the past 20 to 30 years, professionals have given increased attention to intrafamilial incest, primarily addressing father-daughter incest. More recently, sibling incest, a type of intrafamilial incest, has received notice from mental health professionals; how-ever, many professionals still do not recognize the seriousness of the problem. Some professionals have asserted that sibling incest is as common as, and possibly more common than, parental incest. The prevalence of sibling incest can only be estimated because sex between siblings as a phenomenon has been poorly researched. This article reviews current research on the individual and family dynamics that allow sibling incest to occur, the effects of sibling incest on victims, and current treatment protocols.
The present paper reports on an exploratory qualitative study of 19 women on the reactions of those the women encountered in their everyday lives—family, professionals, and community members—when they became aware that the women were survivors of sibling sexual abuse. The study asked whether negative attitudes towards sibling sexual abuse were as harmful as the abuse experience. Data were collected from three focus group discussions and taped transcripts were analysed in terms of themes in public discourse on sibling sexual abuse. The aim of the study was to increase understanding of the impact of people's attitudes and responses to this phenomenon. The findings highlighted the harmful impact of negative attitudes that are reinforced by public discourse that generally fails to problematise the issue and the need for education in professional, community, and school settings.
The Victim to Victimizer paradigm purports to explain the connection between being a victim of sexual abuse and becoming a perpetrator, attributing sexually abusive behavior to a predictable cycle of cognitive distortions and self-destructive and/or abusive behaviors. Integration of two ecological models, Trauma Outcome Process Assessment and Family Lovemap provides a more comprehensive explanation of salient contributors to sexually abusive behavior in youth (i.e., trauma). A case example illustrates the parallel Trauma Outcome Process in a victim, and the victim's perpetrator, identifying protective factors beneficial for trauma recovery.
This paper reviews clinical experience and research evidence about father-daughter incest and family sexual abuse and suggests six factors important in its etiology: 1) the personal characteristics of the offender, 2) the role of the mother, 3) a milieu of abandonment, 4) subcultural isolation, 5) poor family sexual boundaries, and 6) opportunity factors.
Retrospective recall of physical aggression and sexual behavior among siblings was investigated. Participants described behaviors between themselves and siblings in the family, their estimation of the appropriateness of the behavior, and their current relationship with their siblings. Additionally, participants completed measures of family structure and stress. Results indicated that rates of physical aggression among siblings was high, with varying severity. Rates of sexual behavior were lower. For both physical and sexual behaviors, participants were more likely to believe that the behaviors were abusive in retrospect than when they actually occurred. No differences were found in family structure among abusive and nonabusive siblings, but siblings who reported physical or sexual behaviors also reported higher levels of intrafamilial stress. Certain types of stressors may predict particular sibling relationships.
Sibling sexual abuse is identified as the most common form of familial sexual abuse. Extant literature is plagued by definitional inconsistencies, data limitations, and inadequate research methodology. Trivialized as "normal" sexual exploration, sibling sexual abuse has been linked to psychosocial/psychosexual dysfunction. Research has relied on retrospective, convenience, and/or homogenous samples. This work drew on eight years of National Incident-Based Reporting System data (2000-2007) to provide aggregate level baseline information. This work extended prior research exploring victim-, offender-, and incident-based characteristics. Results highlight the need for expanded definitional criteria relating to both age and gender to better inform risk assessment and prevention. Findings both corroborate and contrast prior work and suggest victim- and offender-based gender differences.
Incest by cousins has not been well documented compared with sibling incest. The purpose of this study was to describe the features of incest by cousins and siblings presenting to a sexual assault center and to differentiate cases of abusive behavior from normal sexual exploration. Four criteria were considered indicative of abusive behavior: (1) age difference of greater than or equal to 5 years between victim and perpetrator; (2) use of force, threat, or authority by abuser; (3) attempted penile penetration; and (4) documented injury in victim. Of 831 sexually abused children less than 14 years of age evaluated for sexual assault complaints, 49 cases of cousin incest (5.9%) and 35 cases of sibling incest (4.2%) were identified. A total of 54 male cousins abused 8 boys and 41 girls; brothers abused 3 boys and 32 girls. The victims' median age was 5 years for cousins and 7 years for siblings. The perpetrators' mean age was 16.2 years for cousins and 15.5 years for siblings, with only 16 (19%) of all perpetrators being greater than 16 years old. Of the perpetrators, 66 (79%) were greater than or equal to 5 years older than their victims. All 18 victims with age differences of less than 5 years met one or more of the other abusive criteria. A similar pattern of adolescent perpetrators having abusive sexual contact with young children was demonstrated by analysis of cousin incest and sibling incest in this study. Appropriate case management requires understanding of normal sexual experimentation and recognition of the abusive nature of these cases.
The purpose of the present study was to explore the frequently observed dynamics distinctive to the sibling incest family system, and to evaluate how these dynamics might predispose the family system to act out its dysfunction through sibling sexual conduct. Being a descriptive study by nature, the data is based on 25 families which were reported to the Boulder County (Colorado) Sexual Abuse Team between May 1982 and December 1985. The 25 families yielded a significant pattern of common dynamics. Those dynamics which were repeatedly observed throughout these cases were: distant, inaccessible parents; parental stimulation of sexual climate in the home; and family secrets, especially with regard to extramarital affairs. The implications of the findings suggest that the patterns that are emerging are becoming more predictable, making prognosis and therapeutic intervention far more encouraging.
Explored the veracity of self-reported sexual experiences as relayed by university students (242 females and 144 males) on a sexual experience survey that was completed once privately and a 2nd time in the presence of an interviewer. The Ss were selected from a group of 4,000 students to represent all degrees of exposure to sexual aggression and sexual victimization. Of the female Ss (mean age 21.3 yrs), 86% were single, 92% were White, and 25% were in each year of college study. Of the male Ss (mean age 21.7 yrs), 89% were single, 87% were White, and 25% were in each year of college study. Female Ss were classified as nonvictimized, sexually coerced, sexually abused, or sexually assaulted. Male Ss were classified as nonsexually aggressive, sexually aggressive, sexually abusive, or sexually assaultive. The Pearson correlation between female Ss' level of victimization (LOV) based on self-report and her LOV based on responses as related to the interviewer was .73. Among the 62 females whose self-reports suggested that they were rape victims, only 2 changed their responses. The LOV correlation between male Ss' responses was .61. Results reveal a tendency for males to deny behaviors during interviews that had been revealed on self-reports. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)