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The Characteristics of Incestuous Fathers

A Review of Recent Studies

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Handbook of Sexual Assault

Part of the book series: Applied Clinical Psychology ((NSSB))

Abstract

Until very recently there has been a dearth of empirical research on incestuous fathers. Even though the number of cases of intrafamilial sexual abuse coming to professional attention has skyrocketed, reaching close to 100,000 in the United States in 1985, studies of the perpetrators of this abuse have been scarce. Professionals have been forced to rely on several less-than-definitive resources.

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Williams, L.M., Finkelhor, D. (1990). The Characteristics of Incestuous Fathers. In: Marshall, W.L., Laws, D.R., Barbaree, H.E. (eds) Handbook of Sexual Assault. Applied Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0915-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0915-2_14

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