Peter V. DiVasto

Prior incest in mothers of abused children

Previous studies have shown that most abusing parents have a history of physical abuse or neglect in their own childhoods. There is little data on the frequency of prior sexual abuse among parents who physically or sexually abuse their children. Many case reports describe the uncovering of a prior incest experience in a parent during the investigation of the childs current incest accusation, but it is unclear how frequently this occurs. One hundred mothers of abused children were asked about sexual incidents that occurred before age 18; the control group consisted of 500 normal women from the same community who were surveyed during meetings of various voluntary organizations. Age and ethnicity did not differ in the two groups. Of the mothers of abused children, 24% reported a prior incest experience, whereas only 3% of the control women reported prior incest. This eightfold difference was highly significant. The 34 mothers from families where sexual abuse was occurring were no more likely to report prior incest than were the 66 mothers from families where physical abuse occurred. The one case of genital mutilation of a child occurred in a family where both parents had been incest victims. Case studies indicate that the parent who has been an incest victim has inhibitions and fears about tenderness, traceable to the childhood incest experience, which are important in the development of either physical abuse or sexual abuse in the family.

The prevalence of sexually stressful events among females in the general population

Five hundred sixteen adult females were administered a questionnaire inquiring into the nature of sexually stressful events in their lives. There were 500 responses, and, of those, 298 (59.9%) had experienced an event of this type. A total of 416 different incidents were reported. They were categorized by the authors as either noninvasive (harassment, obscene calls, exposures, “peepers”) or invasive (fondling, attempted rape, rape). The invasive incidents were most often initiated by a friend, acquaintance, or relative. The noninvasive events were almost always perpetrated by strangers. The subjects were asked to report the emotional impact of the events. All were reported to be stressful, with rape being the most stressful event. Regardless of whether formal therapy was sought, all victims reported lowered stress levels over time. There were 98 incidents reported when the subjects were 13 years of age or younger. There were 45 invasive events, including 9 rapes. All the rapes were committed by acquaintances or relatives. Only one victim of childhood rape received professional attention. Of the 41 women who were raped, nearly 75% were raped by acquaintances or relatives. This does not parallel existing emergency room data, suggesting that the group of patients who report to medical authorities may be a skewed sample of rape victims. Only four victims reported their rapes to either legal or medical authorities.

Assessment of attitudes toward mass screening for colorectal cancer and polyps

Abstract At the University of New Mexico outpatient clinics, 202 consecutive patients were asked by a bilingual medical student to complete a questionnaire and to indicate interest in volunteering for a Hemoccult colorectal cancer screening program. Only 70 (34%) agreed to undergo screening. Hispanics were less likely to volunteer than Anglos. Nonvolunteers were significantly more likely to object to specific aspects of the screening protocol and to deny that they could have cancer. Use of only 5 of the 15 items in the questionnaire gave maximal discrimination between volunteers and nonvolunteers.

Mother-daughter incest

Abstract Reports of mother-daughter incest are conspicuously absent from the extensive literature on the sexual abuse of children. When homosexual incest has been reported, the relationship usually involves father and son. In some reported cases of father-daughter incest, the mother had an active role in the sexual act. There is one reported case of grandmother-grand-daughter incest. In the present case, the victim, L., entered psychotherapy because of migraine headaches. She was a university student, struggling, ambivalently, to separate from a jealous and possessive mother. She had been involved in several homosexual affairs which had ended with L. rejecting her partner. Early in therapy, she made a self-mutilating suicide attempt. L. was the only child of an older, lower middle class couple. Father was a passive, ineffectual man, overshadowed by L. s mother. Soon after L. was born, mother and father began sleeping in separate bedrooms. When L. was six years old, mother invited her to share her bed. L. had a room of her own, but was allowed to sleep there only when mother entertained her homosexual lover. L. recalls being extremely jealous of her mothers lover. Starting at age 8, L. recalls awakening to find mother kissing L. on the lips or fondling her breasts. L. thinks that genital fondling also took place while L. was asleep. At age 14 L. insisted that she sleep alone because she felt there was “something wrong” with her relationship with mother. After two years of psychotherapy, L. was able to separate successfully from mother. Soon after this, she rekindled a relationship with a male friend and later married. It can be difficult to distinguish a sexually exploitative mother-daughter relationship from a normal physical closeness that occurs between mothers and female children. This closeness is critical in the development of mothering behaviors in the daughter. Seductive behavior in mothers is more socially tolerated than similar behavior in male caretakers. In some cultures, mothers actively masturbate their nursing infants. In the case of L., the sexual relationship between mother and daughter parallels the patterns seen in father-daughter incest. The incest behavior occurred in the context of a deteriorated husband-wife relationship. L. was confused about whether to relate to mother as a parent or as a sex partner. Sexual contact began when the patient was pre-pubertal and consisted mainly of fondling. Ls memories of this contact are vague and dreamlike, and were revealed after a substantial therapeutic relationship had been established. Ls subsequent homosexual encounters were a repetition of her seduction by her mother. Less explicit maternal seductions have been implicated in the pathogenesis of female homosexuality. As more women with homosexual life-styles take on the single parenting of daughters, reports of mother-daughter incest may become more common.

The interrelationship of sex guilt, sex behavior, and age in an adult sample

Sexual guilt is defined as a generalized expectancy for self-mediated punishment for violating or anticipating violating internalized standards of proper sexual conduct. Previous studies have focused on the relationship between sexual guilt and sexual behavior in college students. The relationship has been shown to be inverse and quite strong. The present study employed a sample of males, ages 27 to 73. The instruments used were the Sexual Guilt Subscale of the Mosher Forced Choice Guilt Scale and the Bentler Heterosexual Behavior Assessment Scale. As in prior studies, it was found that there was a significant inverse correlation between sexual guilt and sexual behavior. In addition, there was found to be an inverse correlation between sexual behavior and age. A significant positive correlation was found between sexual guilt and age. When age was held constant, it was found that there was a highly significant inverse correlation between sexual guilt and sexual behavior. This factoring out of age clarifies the relationship between these variables. The clinician should be aware that the age of a patient may not be a factor in his/her sexual behavior.

A framework for the emergency evaluation of the suicidal patient.

With increasing frequency, emergency room personnel face the anxiety of assessing suicide potential. The authors have developed and present here a mnemonic (SAD CHILDREN) which should facilitate the evaluation of potential in attempted or threatened suicide patients.

Caring for rape victims: its impact on providers.

Students in the health professions are working with a variety of anxiety-provoking patients, such as victims of child abuse or sexual assault, suicidal and terminally ill patients. Faculty have a responsibility to assist these students in maximizing the growth potential of the experience. This study, involving 22 female and three male students at the University of New Mexico Colleges of Nursing and Medicine, examines the effects of such an experience. Each participant worked on a Sexual Assault Response Team at the Bernalillo County Medical Center for an average of 8.6 months; each saw an average of 16 rape victims for whom they provided counseling services and assisted in medical care and gathering evidence.All of the students reported heightened awareness of their own vulnerability. They began to develop cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with the possibility of being raped. Approximately one third of the subjects developed symptoms similar to those experienced by rape victims. Those who did not develop symptoms attributed it to being able to work through their feelings at team meetings. Students became more aware of their attitudes toward rape victims, both positive and negative. Moreover, the most significant change they experienced was in their own perception of themselves as care givers; they felt more confident and competent, both in medical and counseling areas. Faculty are encouraged to meet weekly with students involved in such experiences.

LSD Use as a barrier to public safety employment: A review of the medical findings

ConclusionsIn a review of available literature on the topic of adverse effects of the use of hallucinogenics, the authors found some remarkable evidence. First, there is not evidence that these drugs are physically or emotionally addictive. In fact, users generally discontinue use because of the impact of altering states of consciousness. Few have the desire to experience these effects beyond satisfying their curiosity about the drugs.There seem to be some specific personality factors that predispose individuals to experiment with psychedelic drugs, and certainly, specific personality types are prone to be associated with negative side effects in both the short and long-term. In light of the considerable amount of research which supports the premise that LSD is not as dangerous as once assumed, perhaps restrictive hiring policies should be reviewed and reevaluated in the case of the one-time user. If an individual passes all testing, and personal history shows stability, disqualifying a candidate for prior LSD use does not appear to be supportable by research finding. Again, this report is not meant to diminish the negative effect of hallucinogens on a small portion of our society. The intent is to point out that the medical literature does not support the contention that one-time hallucinogen use carries with it any undesirable long-term consequences. The importance of considering an individual within the context of testing and background can not be minimized.

Suicide potential: evaluation by nonpsychiatrists

Since most people who commit suicide visit a physician in the week to year preceding the act, the physician is in a unique position to intervene before it is too late. If the patient has already made an attempt or gesture, the physician must evaluate the risk of suicide by inquiring into the patients situation and state of mind and the circumstances of the act. The most common types of psychopathology in those who make a suicide attempt or gesture are depression and borderline personality. To detect suicidal patients who have not yet made an attempt or gesture, the physician must be alert to subtle cues, particularly somatic complaints.

Smalltown, New Mexico: Autopsy of a Failure

“I should have been able to take a course on raising children for 20 years before I even had them!”