Sibling Incest: Reports from Forty-One Survivors

Abstract

An exploratory study was conducted with a convenience sample of 41 adult survivors of sibling incest using a retrospective survey design. Participants were interviewed about their childhood sexual experiences with a sibling. Most participants reported vaginal or oral intercourse and coercive experiences. Half of the sample reported sexual experiences with family members, as well as other child abuse. Half of the participants showed evidence of distorted beliefs about child sexual abuse. Disclosure of the incest during childhood was rare. doi:10.1300/ J070v15n04_02.

Sibling Incest Dynamics: Therapeutic Themes and Clinical Challenges

“…With a growing body of research consistently documenting the prevalence of sibling abuse and its deleterious effects (Carlson et al 2006;Cyr et al 2002;Daie et al 1989;Finkelhor 1980;Rudd and Herzberger 1999;Russell 1986) clinicians need increasing knowledge about incestuous sibling relationship dynamics and skills to promote early disclosure and to provide timely, effective treatment interventions for both victims and offenders, as well as their families (Hargett 1998;Haskins 2003;Worling and Curwen 2000). Sibling incest, once thought to be a benign aspect of developmental play, should never be dismissed as child's play (Cole 1982;McVeigh 2003;O'Brien 1991), and work with adult victims requires special sensitivity to the impact of non-disclosure, unresolved issues of mutuality and accumulated feelings of guilt and shame (Thompson 2009;Tsun 1999).…”

“…There is agreement that sibling incest is difficult to identify and vastly underreported (Ascherman and Safier 1990;Carlson et al 2006). Of cases that are reported and confirmed, only a small proportion are adjudicated (Adler and Schutz 1995;Ryan 2000;Worling 1995), and most are left to the discretion of overburdened child protective services (McVeigh 2003;Pierce and Pierce 1990).…”

“…Of cases that are reported and confirmed, only a small proportion are adjudicated (Adler and Schutz 1995;Ryan 2000;Worling 1995), and most are left to the discretion of overburdened child protective services (McVeigh 2003;Pierce and Pierce 1990). Although in many instances sibling incest is never disclosed, such abuse may be uncovered in the context of therapeutic relationships when victims, as adults, seek treatment for issues they may not even associate with the sibling abuse (Caffaro and Conn-Caffaro 1998;Canavan et al 1992;Carlson et al 2006;Laviola 1992;Weihe 1997).…”

“…In contrast to this dated notion, an increasing body of empirical data and clinical experience provide evidence that sibling incest is more often traumatic for participants, having long lasting effects on victims as well as offenders (Carlson et al 2006;Cole 1982;Daie et al 1989;Laviola 1992;O'Brien 1991;Rudd and Herzberger 1999;Russell 1986;Weihe 1997). For the purposes of this discussion sibling incest is conceptualized as sexual acts between siblings that are initiated by one sibling without the other's consent.…”

Child Sexual Abuse in the United States: Perspectives on Assessment and Intervention

“…Sibling sexual abuse often involves aggressive behavior and force to make the victim comply with the abusive act, and penetration is also common in sibling sexual abuse (Tremblay, Hebert, & Piche, 1999). Victims are less apt to disclose sibling abuse than other forms of familial abuse (Carlson, Maciol, & Schneider, 2006). Frequently, children abused by an immediate family member or relative do not tell anyone about their abuse (Arata, 2002;London et al, 2005).…”