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Making Sense of Abuse: Case Studies in Sibling Incest

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Abstract

This case study focused on the process of making sense of abuse in two Latino families experiencing sibling incest. Participants included five male children ranging in age from 8 to 15 that were members of two families dealing with the issue of sibling incest. The purpose of this study was to build understanding of how families experience sibling incest and its role in their families. Clinical data from therapy sessions was analyzed to reveal that families made sense of the incest in different ways including abuse as normal and abuse as a mistake. Central concepts that explained how the families responded to the sibling incest included (1) level of family cohesion, (2) role of secrecy, and (3) view of outside systems. The findings suggest that treatment needs to include an in-depth assessment regarding these issues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Family Therapy Institute, California State University, San Marcos, San Diego, CA

    Linda B. Bass

  2. San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA, 92182

    Brent A. Taylor

  3. Loma Linda University, USA

    Carmen Knudson-Martin & Douglas Huenergardt

Authors
  1. Linda B. Bass
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  2. Brent A. Taylor
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  3. Carmen Knudson-Martin
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  4. Douglas Huenergardt
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Correspondence to Linda B. Bass.

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Bass, L.B., Taylor, B.A., Knudson-Martin, C. et al. Making Sense of Abuse: Case Studies in Sibling Incest. Contemp Fam Ther 28, 87–109 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-006-9697-0

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