Women, alcohol and incest: an analytical review

This study examines the historical treatment of two phenomena that impact negatively on the lives of millions of women--incest and alcoholism--and explores the similarities in characteristics of alcoholic women and women with histories of incest. Prior to the early 1980s, incest histories were rarely mentioned in the literature on alcohol. Similarly, the literature on incest makes only passing references to alcohol abuse among adolescent and adult survivors. Hence, formal research comparisons between the alcoholic woman and the incest-surviving woman are lacking. The purpose of this study is not merely to illustrate the similarities between the alcoholic woman and the incest-surviving woman, but also to present a persuasive argument that multidisciplinary research efforts are essential in order to promote more effectively the identification, diagnosis and treatment of women who suffer both alcoholism and incest. To accomplish these goals, this study presents parallel reviews of (1) women and alcohol and (2) women and incest, then develops a comparative profile of the alcoholic woman and the incest-surviving woman. Additionally, the relatively sparse information on the alcoholic incest-surviving woman is reviewed. This study points to the need for further research in order to address the compelling question that emerges: Why do some incest-surviving women become alcoholic while others do not?