Mental health articles

Dynamics of families with intrafamilial abuse One final method of understanding intrafamilial abuse is to compare dynamics of families in which incest occurs to dynamics in other types of families. Various studies have now compared families with nuclear abuse to those with other intrafamilial abuse (Alexander & Lupfer, 1987; Ray, Jackson, & Townsley, 1991), or […]

Sociobiological theory on intrafamilial abuse Westermarck was the first to develop a biological hypothesis for incest avoidance (Erickson, 1993; Wolf, 1993). In the late 1800s, he proposed that individuals who lived in close proximity during childhood developed an innate aversion to sexual intercourse with those persons. Freud, on the other hand, believed that humans had […]

Recollections of the abuse and neglect In parents abused as children the capacity to reflect on and think about the experiences of childhood seems also to have an effect on the risk of repetition of abuse. Parents who are able to recall their childhood experiences and the associated emotions are less likely to repeat the […]

The consequences of child abuse and neglect Children’s normal emotional reactions are undermined by maltreatment, leading to an atypical organisation of emotions and their expression. There is increased risk of insecure or disorganised attachment relationships with caregivers, and a significant effect on social and emotional development and competence. Childhood maltreatment is a significant risk factor […]

PREVIOUS HISTORY OF ABUSE How we were parented affects how we are as parents (van IJzendoorn, 1992). If the experience of being parented was abusive or inadequate, there may be difficulties in adjusting to parenthood and parenting. All expectant and new parents reconsider their experience of being parented and growing up in their family of […]

PROTECTIVE FACTORS AGAINST REPETITION OF ABUSE For the parent, protective factors include (Egeland, Bosquet & Chung, 2002): • availability of support (social, cultural and professional) • a stable, safe social and personal situation • willingness to ask for help and use it • acceptance of responsibility for the parenting role and their past and present […]

RISK FACTORS FOR REPETITION OF ABUSE Risk factors for repetition of abuse include (Reder, 2003; Sturge & Glasser, 2000): • the parent’s inability to give a coherent and emotionally appropriate account of their own childhood abuse, or their abusive behaviour towards their own children • significant use of dissociation, denial and minimisation as psychological defence […]