Themes in the Relationships of Mothers and their Incestuously Abused Daughters: A Feminist Analysis

Themes in the Relationships of Mothers and their Incestuously Abused Daughters: A Feminist Analysis

In most of the literature on the sequelae or treatment of adult women who were incestuously abused by their fathers, little attention is paid to the impact of the abuse on the daughter's relationship with her mother, other than to hold the mother accountable for the abuse. Phenomenological analysis of extensive interviews with five adult survivors of paternal incestuous abuse resulted in the identification of several common themes in the daughters' relationships with their mothers. A feminist analysis informs this discussion of developmental and contextual factors related to these themes, and forms the basis for highlighting the clinical implications of mother-daughter issues when working with adult survivors of paternal incestuous abuse.