Editing Incest (section)

===Between adults and children===
{{Main|Child sexual abuse}}

Sex between an adult family member and a child is usually considered a form of child sexual abuse,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fridell |first=Lorie A. |title=Decision-making of the District Attorney: diverting or prosecuting intrafamilial child sexual abuse offenders |journal=[[Criminal Justice Policy Review]] |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=249–267 |doi=10.1177/088740349000400304 |date=October 1990 |s2cid=145654768 }}</ref> also known as '''child incestuous abuse''',<ref>{{cite web |last=Trusiani|first=Jessica|title=Working with Survivors of Child Incestuous Abuse |website=Rutgers School of Social Work |url=http://socialwork.rutgers.edu/Libraries/VAWC/Trusiani_presentation.sflb.ashx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101063712/http://socialwork.rutgers.edu/Libraries/VAWC/Trusiani_presentation.sflb.ashx|archive-date=1 November 2014}}</ref> and for many years has been the most reported form of incest. Father–daughter and stepfather–stepdaughter sex are the most commonly reported forms of adult–child incest, with most of the remaining involving a mother or stepmother.<ref name=Turner>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Relationships Across the Lifespan |last=Turner |first=Jeffrey S. |year=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofre0000turn/page/92 92] |isbn=978-0-313-29576-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofre0000turn/page/92 }}</ref> Many studies found that stepfathers tend to be far more likely than biological fathers to engage in this form of incest. One study of adult women in San Francisco estimated that 17% of women were abused by stepfathers and 2% were abused by biological fathers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kinnear |first=Karen L. |title=Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Reference Handbook |page=8}}</ref> Father–son incest is reported less often, but it is not known how close the frequency is to heterosexual incest because it is probably more under-reported.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1007/BF00754448|title=Father-son incest: A review and analysis of reported incidents|journal=Clinical Social Work Journal|volume=16|issue=2|pages=165–179|year=1988|last1=Williams|first1=Mark|s2cid=144258944}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1176/ajp.135.7.835|pmid=665796|title=Father-son incest: Underreported psychiatric problem?|journal=American Journal of Psychiatry|volume=135|issue=7|pages=835–838|year=1978|hdl=1811/51174|last1=Dixon|first1=K. N.|last2=Arnold|first2=L. E.|last3=Calestro|first3=K.|citeseerx=10.1.1.1018.8536}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Don't Tell: The Sexual Abuse of Boys |first=Michel |last=Dorais |translator=Isabel Denholm Meyer |year=2002 |page=24 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press |isbn=978-0-7735-2261-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Healing the Incest Wound: Adult Survivors in Therapy |first=Christine A. |last=Courtois |year=1988 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-31356-7}}</ref> The prevalence of incest between parents and their children is difficult to estimate due to secrecy and privacy.

In a 1999 news story, the [[BBC]] reported: "Close-knit family life in India masks an alarming amount of sexual abuse of children and teenage girls by family members, a new report suggests. Delhi organisation [[RAHI Foundation|RAHI]] said 76% of respondents to its survey had been abused when they were children{{nbsp}}{{ndash}} 40% of those by a family member."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lak |first=Daniel |date=22 January 1999 |title=India's hidden incest |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/259959.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref>

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime a large proportion of [[rape]] committed in the United States is perpetrated by a family member:
{{blockquote|1=Research indicates that 46% of children who are raped are victims of family members (Langan and Harlow, 1994). The majority of American rape victims (61%) are raped before the age of 18; furthermore, 29% of all rapes occurred when the victim was less than 11 years old. 11% of rape victims are raped by their fathers or stepfathers, and another 16% are raped by other relatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32360|title=Incest|work=National Center for Victims of Crime and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center|year=1992|publisher=National Center for Victims of Crime|access-date=27 March 2008|archive-date=10 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810214920/http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32360|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

Adults who as children were incestuously victimized by adults often suffer from low [[self-esteem]], difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and [[sexual dysfunction]], and are at an extremely high risk of many mental disorders, including [[Clinical depression|depression]], [[anxiety disorder]]s, [[Phobia|phobic avoidance reactions]], [[somatoform disorder]], [[substance abuse]], [[borderline personality disorder]], and [[complex post-traumatic stress disorder]].<ref name="Courtois" /><ref>{{cite book |last2=Barrett |first2=Mary Jo |title=Systemic Treatment of Incest: A Therapeutic Handbook |last1=Trepper |first1=Terry S. |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-87630-560-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Incest-Related Syndromes of Adult Psychopathology |first=Richard P. |last=Kluft |year=1990 |publisher=American Psychiatric Pub, Inc. |pages=83, 89 |isbn=978-0-88048-160-1}}</ref>

The [[Goler clan]] in [[Nova Scotia]] is a specific instance in which child sexual abuse in the form of forced adult{{ndash}}child and sibling{{ndash}}sibling incest took place over at least three generations.<ref name="cruise">{{Cite book |title=On South Mountain: The Dark Secrets of the Goler Clan |last1=Cruise |first1=David |last2=Griffiths |first2=Alison |publisher=Penguin Books |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-670-87388-3}}</ref> A number of Goler children were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, cousins, and each other. During interrogation by police, several of the adults openly admitted to engaging in many forms of sexual activity, up to and including full intercourse, multiple times with the children. Sixteen adults (both men and women) were charged with hundreds of allegations of incest and sexual abuse of children as young as five.<ref name="cruise" /> In July 2012, twelve children were removed from the [[Colt clan incest case|'Colt' family]] (a pseudonym) in [[New South Wales]], Australia, after the discovery of four generations of incest.<ref name=ccnsw>{{cite web|url=http://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/action/PJUDG?jgmtid=167373 |title=DFaCS (NSW) and the Colt Children [2013] NSWChC 5 |publisher=Children's Court, New South Wales |date=13 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217044158/http://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/action/PJUDG?jgmtid=167373 |archive-date=17 December 2013 }}</ref><ref name=nca131210>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/the-case-of-incest-and-depravity-which-came-to-rest-in-the-hills-of-a-quiet-country-town/story-fnixwvgh-1226780575248 |title=The case of incest and depravity which came to rest in the hills of a quiet country town |first=Candace |last=Sutton |work=[[News Corp Australia]] |date=10 December 2013 |access-date=14 December 2013 |archive-date=8 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041054/http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/the-case-of-incest-and-depravity-which-came-to-rest-in-the-hills-of-a-quiet-country-town/story-fnixwvgh-1226780575248 }}</ref> Child protection workers and psychologists said interviews with the children indicated "a virtual sexual free-for-all".<ref name=nca131212>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/the-family-tree-of-the-depraved-family-who-live-in-the-hills-of-a-quiet-country-town/story-fnii5s3x-1226781805877 |title=The family tree of the depraved family who live in the hills of a quiet country town |first=Candace |last=Sutton |work=[[News Corp Australia]] |date=12 December 2013 |access-date=14 December 2013 |archive-date=25 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925061616/http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/the-family-tree-of-the-depraved-family-who-live-in-the-hills-of-a-quiet-country-town/story-fnii5s3x-1226781805877 }}</ref>

While incest between adults and children generally involves the adult as the perpetrator of abuse, there are rare instances of sons sexually assaulting their mothers. These sons are typically mid-adolescent to young adult, and, unlike parent-initiated incest, the incidents involve some kind of physical force. Although the mothers may be accused of being seductive with their sons and inviting the sexual contact, this is contrary to evidence.<ref name="Courtois 2">{{cite book |last=Courtois |first=Christine  |title=Healing the Incest Wound: Adult Survivors in Therapy |year=2010 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-39370-547-8 |pages=71–72 }}</ref><ref name="Ward">{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Elizabeth  |title=Father-Daughter Rape |year=1985 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-39462-032-9 }}</ref> Such accusations can parallel other forms of rape, where, due to [[victim blaming]], a woman is accused of being at fault for the rape. In some cases, mother–son incest is best classified as [[acquaintance rape]] of the mother by the adolescent son.<ref name="Courtois 2"/><ref name="Ward"/>