M.A. / Incest can be defined as, “The involvement of dependant children or adolescents in sexual activities they do not truly comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent, or that violate the social taboos of family roles” (Kempe & Kempe, 1978, p.60). Incest may include a multitude of activities, such as fondling, masturbation, exposing genitalia, exposure to pornographic material, as well as intercourse (Gilmartin, 1994). In our sexist patriarchal society, sexual abuse of children and women has been, and still is, a dark secret (Bradshaw, 1995). A study done by Collings (1997) at the University of Natal revealed that over 50% of all second year st udents had reported some incidence of sexual abuse during their childhood and/or adolescent years. Statistics from the South African Police Force indicate an increase in the number of incest cases from 7559 in 1994 to 10037 in 1995 (Tucker, 2000). Lyell (1997) emphasised that the magnitude of the problem of sexual abuse is far greater than any professionals working in this field ever imagined. Over the past 24 years many studies have been published on the psychological impact of incest (Ensink, 1992). These effects include the disruption of normal development (Doyle, 1997), emotional problems (Newman & Peterson, 1996), social problems (Newman Lubell & Peterson, 1998) and physical problems (Tucker, 2000), to name a few. The abovementioned statistics show that incest is of concern in the South African context. It is also of international relevance because as Boyles, De Noon and Key (1999) have noted sexual abuse is a worldwide problem. The purpose of this study is to investigate the way adult female survivor s of childhood incest cope. The epistemological framework of this study is that of the Modernistic approach. Quantitative methods of research were therefore used to collect and analyse the data. The survivors’ ways of coping were assessed through response s t o the “Ways of Coping” Questionnaire given by a multi-e t h n i c sample containing mainly white women. Relevant biographical details were obtained with the use of a constructed biographical questionnaire. The differences regarding the different ways of coping, as related to specific factors, such as duration of therapy, duration of abuse and so forth, were discussed. Possible implications of the results have also been mentioned in this thesis. The information obtained provides a new perspective on incest, that of salutogenesis. Previous research has focused on the adverse effects that occur because of incest. There has not been a focus on the strengths of incest survivors, or the reason why some survivors cope better than others. It was found that incest sur vivors develop constructive coping skills, such as positive reappraisal, seeking social support and planful problem solving, after a minimal time period of one year in therapy. It was also found that the duration of abuse affects the way an adult survivor copes with the incest. Particular ways of coping are correlated with others, for example planful problem solving is correlated with positive reappraisal. The information which has emerged from this study may be useful for therapists working with incest sur vivors. Having a broader understanding of survivors’ ways of coping and some of the factors influencing these, may allow therapists to direct and teach ways of coping, and more specifically to facilitate and encourage more constructive ways of coping.

On August 28, 1955, Emmett Louis Till was abducted from the home of his uncle, Mose Wright, near Money, Mississippi. A body was recovered three days later in the nearby Tallahatchie River, which divides Tallahatchie and Leflore Counties, and the body was closer to the Tallahatchie bank of the river. A week later the Grand Jury of Tallahatchie County indicted J. W. Milan and Roy Bryant on separate counts of murder and kidnapping. On September 198, 1955, in Sumner, Mississippi, there began a trial destined to be the most publicized kidnap-murder trial since the Bruno Hauptman case, seventy reporters covered the trial, representing newspapers and magazines from all over the United States and from some foreign countries. Nearly every newspaper in the country gave the case and trial front-page play, as did many of those published in other countries. / Typescript. / A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Summer Semester, 1963. / "August, 1963" / Includes bibliographical references. / Marion D. Irish, Professor Directing Thesis; William W. Rogers, Committee Member; Malcolm B. Parsons, Committee Member.

Internationally, there have been few studies examining the attitudes of people who have been raped towards police (Jordan, 2001a; Lievore, 2005; Temkin, 1997, 1999). Little research in Australia (particularly South Australia) has examined the experiences of victims/survivors of rape with police. Existing data do show that women who have been raped rarely report assaults to police. This has been attributed by researchers to a range of reasons, both personal and systemic, including the influence of stereotypes and myths about rape on victims’/survivors’ decision-making. Rape myths often reflect community attitudes, social norms and police responses. For example, victims/survivors may blame themselves and also expect police will blame or disbelieve them. Such expectations (or subsequent experiences) of negative police responses undermine victims’/survivors’ faith in police. However, this is not the whole story. In reality, police responses to rape are complex and inconsistent, influenced by both individual and organisational factors. I initiated this study to explore victims’/survivors’ expectations of, and experiences with, police in a transparent and accessible forum. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 11 women who had been raped in South Australia, my findings illustrated the diversity of South Australia Police responses to victims/survivors of rape and suggested that South Australia Police practices were similar to those of other Australian and English-speaking jurisdictions. Overall, interactions with South Australia Police ‘simultaneously provide grounds for hope and are disappointing (Lievore, 2005: 59; emphasis added). In many cases police responses were disappointing, through service provision that was partly or wholly negative. Specific individual and organisational factors were associated with satisfactory or unsatisfactory police practices. Poor service provision was evident in individual police officers’ apathy and dismissive or disbelieving responses, and through low prioritisation and limited resourcing of sexual violence at an organisation level. However, my findings indicated that there was also much to be hopeful about when considering South Australia Police responses to rape. The participants in my study often reported exemplary service from individual officers. At the reporting and investigation stages, good practices were based on ‘procedural justice’ rather than ‘outcome justice’: characterised by strong communication, empathy and professionalism at an individual level and consistency at an organisational level.

Examination of previous empirical literature illustrates how researchers have concentrated on documenting the impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the later psychological functioning of survivors, through comparisons with those who have not had such a history. Only more recently has there been a focus on assessing the relationship between aspects of the abuse and specific psychological difficulties. This thesis investigated the relationships between CSA characteristics and women’s later psychological adjustment. The role of attributions, coping methods, parenting competency and marital satisfaction were also investigated. Qualitative data on perception of benefit and general reflections of participants were used to explore participants’ self-esteem, locus of control, decisions relating to parenting, disclosure experiences, and attributions in relation to their abuse, including the search for meaning. Recruitment through newspapers and counselling services led to 118 women volunteering to complete a questionnaire evaluating the characteristics of their CSA and their current psychological adjustment. Of this group, 33 subsequently volunteered to participate in a telephone interview that explored in greater depth issues related to the long-term impact of their CSA. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on the data. The women reported a high prevalence of dysfunction in their families of origin. Abuse had generally commenced by middle childhood, and lasted for a number of years and often involved a number of perpetrators. Perpetrators were most likely to be intrafamilial, with stepfathers being over-represented. Sexual activities generally involved physical contact, with participation often induced by the use of coercion. Participants demonstrated significant difficulties in psychological adjustment, but attributions regarding the abuse improved over time. Some concerns were expressed regarding parenting competency, and avoidant coping methods were favoured. In general, participants were satisfied with their current marital relationship. Significant associations were found between coping methods, attributional style, beliefs and various psychological adjustment measures. Participants, in general, demonstrated low self-esteem and displayed an external locus of control. As a consequence of their experience of CSA, many participants reported they had decided not to have children. For those who did have children, CSA was almost universally seen as having had an impact on their parenting. Disclosure of CSA was usually delayed for a number of years, with poor outcomes generally resulting from disclosure when it occurred. Women with current partners rated them as very caring and not controlling. Participants were generally still searching for meaning in their abuse, despite many having accepted it. Survivors outlined an extensive range of long-term effects of CSA, and nominated a number of strategies that would assist in reducing these effects. The results of the study indicated that there are a number of characteristics associated with CSA which signal a higher risk of difficulties in psychological adjustment. Concerns of survivors regarding parenting were confirmed according to those who undertook this role. Unfortunately, concerns expressed by survivors that disclosure of their CSA would have had negative consequences was usually the case when they did finally disclose. However, the accessing of social and family support appeared to have an important role in changing the attributions of survivors regarding their CSA. Furthermore, change of attributions in relation to abuse may provide the key to resilience in survivors against the negative impact of CSA on later psychological adjustment.

Traditionally, rape has been viewed as a crime perpetrated by men against women. However, it is now recognised that males can also be victims of rape. The current research had several interrelated aims to; (i) provide a profile of both male and female rape victims, (ii) compare the characteristics of rape perpetrated against male and female victims, (iii) estimate the incidence of male and female rape within the general community, (iv) describe the reporting practices of rape victims, and (v) determine the relationship between rape and depression, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts. The community's level of rape myth endorsement was also explored. Rape myths were defined as attitudes and beliefs about rape, rape victims, and rapists that are generally false but are widely and persistently held, and serve to deny and justify sexual aggression against women and men. The present study compared rape myth endorsement levels concerning both male and female victims. However, it was first necessary to construct a rape myth questionnaire, the Rape Attitudinal Scale (RAQ), which minimised the methodological limitations of pre-existing scales. The current research utilised online methodology and, in total, 560 individuals participated in the research. It was found that almost two out of every five participants had been a victim of rape during their lifetime, with males accounting for 8.60% of the raped sample. Rape victims emanated from a variety of demographic backgrounds and the gender differences between the characteristics of the rape were discussed. Approximately one in seven rape victims stated that they had reported the rape to police, with half of those rape victims regretting informing the police of their experience. Almost twice as many female rape victims than male rape victims failed to report their rape to anyone. It was also found that victims of rape are more likely to report rape to authorities when the rape fits the

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2005. / Principal faculty advisor: Ruth E. Fleury-Steiner, Dept. of Individual & Family Studies. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves : [97]-99).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Seminary, Portland, Or., 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 531-554).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2002. / Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-213).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2002. / Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 260-273).