The specific effects of incest on prepubertal girls from dysfunctional families

In a study addressing controversies regarding the impact of incest, we postulated that clinical consequences (a) are not solely due to family dysfunctionality, (b) need not appear with global measures, and (c) are demonstrated when specific zones of functioning are examined. These hypotheses were tested with a clinical sample of 57 girls, aged 8 to 14 years, from multiproblem families, half having experienced incest. The Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL; Achenbach and Edelbrock, 1979), the Piers-Harris (1984) Self-Esteem measure and the Harter and Pike (1984) Self-Competence Scale were completed and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted with both the girls and their clinicians. Their dossiers were analysed as well. As hypothesized, there were no differences on global measures (CBCL). In specific areas, however, the girls having undergone incest demonstrated significantly lower self-esteem, more troubled relations with their mothers, more sexualized attitudes and behaviours and more aggression turned inwardly than girls not having undergone incest from equally dysfunctional families. The powerful impact of incest on the prepubertal child is thereby underscored.