The relationship of individual and family characteristics to the severity of the incestuous offense in father-daughter incest

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of individual and family characteristics to the severity of the incestuous offense in father-daughter incest. The individual characteristics selected for the study were the father's history of being abused as a child, the mother's history of being abused as a child, the father's and mother's recent alcohol use. The family characteristics were control, independence, moral-religious orientation, and expressiveness. Data collected at the Family Renewal Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota was used. Various questionnaires were completed at intake. For the purpose of this study, a questionnaire regarding family background and the Family Environment Scale were used. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings of this study indicated that the father's history of emotional abuse was related positively to his perception of the severity of offense and the mother's alcohol use was related inversely. It was concluded that practitioners should focus on the family system as well as individual family members in the treatment of father-daughter incest. Both current family functioning and family-of-orgin issues need to be addressed during the therapeutic process.