"Silent screams": Family perceptions in the drawings of incest victim children.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the family perceptions in the drawings of children exposed to incest. DESIGN AND METHODS: This qualitative research involved 25 child survivors of incest, all of whom were examined and subjected to forensic interviews at a facility in northern Türkiye specializing in cases of child sexual abuse. The data were collected using the "Child and Family Descriptive Information Form", the "Abuser Descriptive Information Form", the "Family Drawing Test", and the "Semi-structured Interview Form". RESULTS: The children's drawings were subjected to a projective analysis, leading to the identification of three key themes: the distress of confronting incest; unbalanced power and role allocation in the family; and dysfunctional family dynamics.". These themes were discerned by examining the connections and coherence between the categories. CONCLUSION: It is concluded in the study that who are exposed to incest perceived a trauma experience that affected the whole family, perceived unbalanced power and role allocation in the family with authoritarian-aggressive and submissive-oppressed roles, and had negative perceptions of family dynamics such as emotional ties, family integrity, and social interaction. IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: This study emphasizes the need to restructure the issues of familial trauma, power and role imbalance, and unmet needs within the family while planning for trauma in nursing approaches to children who are victims of incest.

A Qualitative Investigation of Self-Compassion in Music Therapy Group Voicework With Women Coping With Incest.

Incest occurs worldwide in all socioeconomic classes. To the best of our knowledge, literature on music processes with incest survivors is scarce, and studies focusing on voicework as a main technique for incest survivors in group settings have not been found. The current study aimed to explore incest survivors' expectations regarding the use of their voice before participating in a vocal group therapy, and their lived experience of using their voice following the therapeutic process. Seventeen women living in an inpatient alternative center, coping with complex posttraumatic stress disorder due to incest, participated in a voicework group led by two music therapists. The women were divided into two groups of eight and nine women each and participated in eight sessions. Data were collected through focus groups before and after the therapeutic experience. Interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded themes indicating that before the therapeutic process, participants' expectations regarding the use of their voice reflected low self-esteem, self-criticism, loneliness, shame, fear of exposure, and avoidance of singing. Following the therapeutic process, participants experienced their voice in a way that enabled them to feel self-acceptance and courage to sing, togetherness, bonding, belonging, a strengthening of existing relationships and ability to establish new ones, and awareness of body and emotions in the "here and now." An overall examination of the findings indicates that participants progressed from experiencing lack of self-compassion before the therapeutic experience to enhanced self-compassion at its completion. The findings are interpreted via the self-compassion concept and implications are presented.

Parental Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material: A Critical Review.

The aim of this review is to summarize the available empirical research on parental production and to explore the discursive positioning of parental perpetrators within scholarship on child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Academic databases were searched using a combination of relevant terms, and the review was expanded as new terms were identified. The review identified 66 scholarly articles, papers, or books that referred to parental production of CSAM published since 1970. To explore how parental offenders have been positioned within this literature over time, the review is presented according to a chronological summary, drawing out key themes and empirical insights. The review showed that parental CSAM production is common, more likely to involve pre-pubescent victims, more severe abuse, female as well as male perpetrators, and produces high-demand illegal content with serious long-term sequelae. However, the review found that the focus of child trafficking and sexual exploitation scholarship on "commercial" and profit-driven abuse has marginalized and obscured parental CSAM production as a serious policy challenge. These findings warrant a reorientation of research, policy, and practice approaches to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation, as well as a reflection on the resistance of researchers and policymakers to acknowledging the problem of family-based sexual exploitation.

An integrative review: Human chemosensory communication in the parent-child relationship.

Body odors serve as signals of kinship, with parents exhibiting a preference for the scent of their infants, and vice versa. The reciprocal perception of body odors can promote bonding through two mechanisms. Firstly, as an indirect pathway, through associative chemosensory learning, which leads to changes in proximity-seeking behaviors. Secondly, as a direct pathway, by eliciting the display of positive emotions, thereby reinforcing the mutual bond. Both mechanisms weaken as the child undergoes development due to changes in body odor expression and perception. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the current literature on chemosignals in the parent-child relationship, highlighting their significance in facilitating dyadic communication throughout the developmental span. Furthermore, future research perspectives are outlined to gain a better understanding of these benefits and, on the long run, derive potential interventions to strengthen parent child attachment.

Calculation of the Paternity Index for the Alleged Father Related to the Child's Mother.

OBJECTIVES: To derive the paternity index (PI) calculation formula of the alleged father (AF) when the AF is a relative (parent/child, siblings, grandparent/grandchild, uncle/nephew, first cousins) of the child's biological mother. METHODS: For the case when the AF is related to the child's biological mother, the existence of the relationship in the numerator and denominator hypothesis of PI was considered. The genotype frequency of the AF was calculated by using the frequency formula in which the mother's genotype was considered, while the random male in the denominator was substituted as another relative of the mother's same rank. The PI calculation formula was derived to eliminate the effect of the relationship between AF and the child's biological mother. RESULTS: When the AF and the biological mother have first, second and tertiary kinship, a more conservative PI was obtained from the PI calculation formula derived in this study compared with the PI calculation method which did not consider kinship. CONCLUSIONS: The calculation method provided in this study can eliminate the effect of the relation of the AF and mother on the PI in incest cases, to obtain more accurate and conservative identification conclusions.

Calculation of Likelihood Ratios for Incest Cases Using IBD Patterns.

OBJECTIVES: To calculate the likelihood ratios of incest cases using identity by descent (IBD) patterns. METHODS: The unique IBD pattern was formed by denoting the alleles from the members in a pedigree with a same digital. The probability of each IBD pattern was obtained by multiplying the prior probability by the frequency of non-IBD alleles. The pedigree likelihoods of incest cases under different hypotheses were obtained by summing all IBD pattern probabilities, and the likelihood ratio(LR) was calculated by comparing the likelihoods of different pedigrees. RESULTS: The IBD patterns and the formulae of calculating LR for father-daughter incest and brother-sister incest were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: The calculations of LR for incest cases were illustrated based on IBD patterns.

"A daily reminder of an ugly incident ": analysis of debate on rape and incest exceptions in early abortion ban legislation in six states in the southern US.

Abortion bans in the United States often include provisions for abortion in the circumstances of rape or incest experience. Such exceptions have been included in important legislation like the Hyde Amendment, 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, 2010 Affordable Care Act, and state and federal legislation banning abortion in early gestation. Thus, examination of these laws is critical given the 2022 Supreme Court decision to devolve legal access to the state level. This study examines arguments made by proponents and opponents of rape and incest exceptions within early abortion ban legislation using publicly available video archives from legislative sessions in six Southern states. A narrative analysis was conducted on the legislative debate of rape and incest exceptions during the 2018-2019 legislative sessions. We found three core themes when examining legislative debate: belief in people's claims underpinned opposition or support for exceptions; opinions about trauma were related to views on exceptions; and exception supporters called for empathy and non-partisanship in consideration of rape and incest. Additionally, support and opposition for the inclusion of rape and incest exceptions in draft law did not follow party lines. This study seeks to deepen understanding of the strategies used by legislators to promote and rebuff rape and incest exceptions in early abortion legislation while providing greater opportunity for tailored reproductive health, rights, and justice advocacy and policy, especially in the context of the US South where abortion access is now extremely restricted.

"I'm in a Bloody Battle without Being Able to Stop It": The Dissociative Experiences of Child Sexual Abuse Survivors.

Dissociation in child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors remains under-recognized and diagnosed, partly because of the difficulties involved in identifying dissociative symptoms. Qualitative research can contribute to a better understanding of the lived experiences of dissociation. This study focused on the experiences of dissociation in the context of CSA. In all, 22 female incest survivors, all diagnosed with different dissociative disorders, provided narratives about their experiences of dissociation. The narratives were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The narrative analysis revealed four central themes. The first theme deals with reliving the experience of the abuse. The second theme refers to the experience of disconnection from the body, the self, and the surroundings. The third theme covers the lack of coherence in the narrative, and the fourth theme describes the bridge between voluntary controlled and nonvoluntary uncontrolled use of dissociation. The data are discussed in light of several traumagenic constructs, including a lack of self-sense, being entrapped in a victim-aggressor relationship, and distorted time perception. It is suggested that the extent to which participants can control their dissociation and the coherency of their narratives reflects the severity of their dissociation. Clinicians can consider helping clients use dissociation as an adaptive defense mechanism.

Sibling Sexual Abuse: A Review of Empirical Studies in the Field.

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.

Analysis of aborted fetal material using autosomal STR markers in forensic cases of sexual assault.

Sexual violence represents a widespread social problem associated with serious lifelong consequences. In many cases, an outcome of sexual violence is the victim's unwanted pregnancy, usually ended in an abortion. The objective of this paper is to report five rape cases, including rapes of a minor and young woman, two incest cases and a case of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, where every case resulted in the victim's pregnancy. In each case, pregnancy was terminated in the first trimester or at the beginning of the second trimester in the relevant medical center or clinic. Fresh fetal blood or aborted tissue samples were delivered to our laboratory in order to perform paternity testing for the purpose of proving the crime. DNA extraction using Qiagen Dneasy™ Tissue Kit was optimized according to the sample type. Amplification of autosomal STR (Short Tandem Repeat) markers was performed using the PowerPlex®16 System. In two cases, mixtures of maternal and fetal DNA in the aborted fetal material were found. Using the LRmix Studio v.2.1.5 Software for interpreting DNA mixtures based on a probabilistic model, the likelihoods of maternal contribution and presence of fetal allelic variants inherited from the alleged father/suspect were calculated. Based on these results, we confirmed the presence of assumed fetal fractions (determined before software analysis) in the mixtures. In all cases, positive paternity proved the crime (probabilities of paternity >99.9999%). This cases report once again pointed out the importance of DNA analysis in the process of clarifying and solving forensic cases and demonstrated that the LRmix Studio v.2.1.5 Software can deal with complex cases such as sexual assaults.

Calculation of Likelihood Ratios for Incest Cases Using IBD Patterns / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To calculate the likelihood ratios of incest cases using identity by descent (IBD) patterns.@*METHODS@#The unique IBD pattern was formed by denoting the alleles from the members in a pedigree with a same digital. The probability of each IBD pattern was obtained by multiplying the prior probability by the frequency of non-IBD alleles. The pedigree likelihoods of incest cases under different hypotheses were obtained by summing all IBD pattern probabilities, and the likelihood ratio(LR) was calculated by comparing the likelihoods of different pedigrees.@*RESULTS@#The IBD patterns and the formulae of calculating LR for father-daughter incest and brother-sister incest were obtained.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The calculations of LR for incest cases were illustrated based on IBD patterns.

Calculation of the Paternity Index for the Alleged Father Related to the Child's Mother / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To derive the paternity index (PI) calculation formula of the alleged father (AF) when the AF is a relative (parent/child, siblings, grandparent/grandchild, uncle/nephew, first cousins) of the child's biological mother.@*METHODS@#For the case when the AF is related to the child's biological mother, the existence of the relationship in the numerator and denominator hypothesis of PI was considered. The genotype frequency of the AF was calculated by using the frequency formula in which the mother's genotype was considered, while the random male in the denominator was substituted as another relative of the mother's same rank. The PI calculation formula was derived to eliminate the effect of the relationship between AF and the child's biological mother.@*RESULTS@#When the AF and the biological mother have first, second and tertiary kinship, a more conservative PI was obtained from the PI calculation formula derived in this study compared with the PI calculation method which did not consider kinship.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The calculation method provided in this study can eliminate the effect of the relation of the AF and mother on the PI in incest cases, to obtain more accurate and conservative identification conclusions.

[Freudian trauma]. / Traumatisme freudien.

An exploration of all Freud's writings on trauma from 1885 is proposed. Trauma, a central concept in his first works, always kept a place in his theory. He conceived it as a consequence of an external perception leading to a sudden affect which cannot be mastered by the psyche. For him, the excitation is so strong that it threatens the ego and provokes a breach of the protective shield. The idea that he would have renounced to this topic at the end of the nineteenth century is irrational.

Cenas incestuosas contemporâneas: fragmentos enunciativos sobre a culpabilização da mulher-mãe / Contemporary incestuous scenes: enunciative fragments about the guilt of the woman-mother / Escenas incestuosas contemporáneas: fragmentos enunciativos sobre la culpabilidad de la mujer-madre

Este estudo objetivou a elaboração de reflexões sobre a culpabilização da figura materna diante da violência sexual incestuosa praticada por um terceiro sobre sua filha. Inquietações sobre quem é essa mulher-mãe e o olhar sustentado sobre ela no cenário social guiaram os caminhos percorridos. Metodologicamente, o estudo foi construído a partir da análise documental de comentários produzidos no portal de notícias G1. A teoria psicanalítica auxiliou na análise e interpretação das representações atribuídas a essas mães, uma vez que as designações generalizantes, no campo imaginário, não acessam elementos enunciativos presentes no discurso social. As considerações apontaram que o estranhamento, frente ao feminino e ao próprio desamparo dos sujeitos, mantém os discursos maniqueístas que reduzem estas mães como negligentes, omissas e falhas. Excluem-se os elementos constituintes de suas histórias familiares, que poderiam sucumbir na desorganização face à violência incestuosa estabelecida na trama familiar.

This study aimed to elaborate reflections on the guilt of the mother figure in the face of incestuous sexual violence committed by a third party on her daughter. Questions about who this woman-mother is, and the view held about her in the social scenario guided the paths followed. Methodologically, the study was built from the documental analysis of comments produced in a news portal. Psychoanalysis helped in the analysis and interpretation of the representations attributed to these mothers, since the generalizing designations, in the imaginary field, do not access enunciative elements present in the social discourse. The strangeness, facing the feminine and the helplessness of the subjects, maintains the Manichean discourses that reduce these mothers as negligent, omissive, and failures. The constituent elements of their family histories, which could succumb to disorganization in the face of incestuous violence established in the family plot, are excluded.

Este estudio pretendía elaborar reflexiones sobre la culpabilidad de la figura materna ante la violencia sexual incestuosa cometida por un tercero sobre su hija. Las preguntas sobre quién es esta mujer-madre y la visión que se tiene de ella en el escenario social guiaron los caminos tomados. Metodológicamente, el estudio se construyó a partir del análisis documental de los comentarios producidos en un portal de noticias. El psicoanálisis ayudó en el análisis e interpretación de las representaciones atribuidas a estas madres, ya que las designaciones generalizadoras, en el campo imaginario, no acceden a elementos enunciativos presentes en el discurso social. La extrañeza, frente a lo femenino y el desamparo de los propios sujetos, mantiene los discursos maniqueos que reducen a estas madres como negligentes, omisas y fracasadas. Se excluyen los elementos constitutivos de sus historias familiares, que podrían sucumbir a la desorganización frente a la violencia incestuosa establecida en la trama familiar.

[« What is changing today is a greater ability to talk about it ¼]. / « Ce qui change aujourd'hui, c'est une plus grande faculté à en parler ¼.

Victims' associations, social networks and the publication of books have accelerated political and societal awareness of a subject that is still very taboo: incest. In this context, the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children (Ciivise), created in 2021, has the mission to make recommendations on the evolution of public policies for a better protection and care of child victims, and to collect the voice of victims, now adults. Nathalie Mathieu, co-president of the Ciivise and executive director of the association Docteurs Bru, draws up an inventory of the subject, as much on its legal aspect as on the stakes of society which result from it and on the place of nurses. Interview.

[Incest, a genocidal crime]. / L'inceste, un crime génocidaire.

Incest covers multiple situations that have in common family dynamics where the absolute prohibition to have sexual relations with one of its members is not respected. It is a fundamental taboo in our Western societies where the family is considered as a system structuring the relationships between individuals. How can we understand the family transactions that can lead to such situations? What do we know today about families where incest occurs? What is the place of each member of this family, whether he or she is an actor, a witness, or totally unaware of the facts? What happens to the victims of such acts? Here is an insight into these different questions based on our experience as psychotherapists and researchers.

[Mechanisms at play in the perpetrators of incestuous acts]. / Les mécanismes en jeu chez les auteurs d'actes incestueux.

While the perpetrators of incestuous assaults are found in families from all social, cultural and professional categories, the vast majority of them have common characteristics. Linda Tromeleue, a psychologist and family therapist, works in the prison integration and probation service, particularly with incestuous paedocriminals who have been tried and sentenced. She describes their personality traits and the process established to carry out their transgressive acts, often for years.

[Psychopathological consequences of incestuous violence]. / Conséquences psychopathologiques des violences incestueuses.

The psychotraumatic consequences induced by exposure to incestuous violence result in a clinical picture that varies according to age and context, including protective factors. The younger the age, the greater the risk of developing complex psychotrauma. Numerous psychiatric and somatic comorbidities accompany the suffering in children and adults. These are all indicators that can be used for screening.

[The traumatic memory]. / La mémoire traumatique.

The traumatic memory, a consequence of the psychotrauma induced by incestuous violence, has inhabited Delphine throughout her childhood and a large part of her adult life. At the age of 40, following the revelations of her sister, she began psychotherapy and identified the traumatic events. She is finally able to understand and link a plural somatic symptomatology to a post-traumatic syndrome... Delphine shares here the story of this traumatic memory.

[Accompanying young girls who are victims of incest, a necessarily holistic approach]. / Accompagner les jeunes filles victimes d'inceste, une approche nécessairement holistique.

Accompanying child and adolescent victims of incest towards reconstruction requires professionals trained in the specificities of this intra-family sexual violence. The Jean-Bru shelter, which takes in young girl victims, has developed the expertise of a complementary multi-partner approach and offers socio-educational, medical-psychological and legal support, for the benefit of a personalized global project that also includes the family link.