The long-term interpersonal problems of female incest victims are described from the perspective of the victim's perceptual style, a style developed from being raised in a family characterized by isolation, enmeshment and resistance to change. The conceptual framework of personal construct theory is used to describe the victim's extreme role stereotypy and lack of differentiation of her views of men and women. It is proposed that these characteristics interfere with her ability to relate in a rewarding manner to both men and women. A structured group therapy format is proposed which places an emphasis on dyadic interactions with the goal of altering the incest victim's interpersonal perceptions. Incest victims will be compared to non-incest victims prior to treatment on measures of differentiation and role stereotypy. Pregroup, postgroup and follow-up evaluations of the Interpersonal Transaction group, and alternative unstructured group and a waiting list control condition will be conducted in order to assess the differential effectiveness of these conditions in producing interpersonal cognitive restructuring as well as symptomatic improvement.
| Follette, V M; Alexander, P C; Follette, W C (1991) Individual predictors of outcome in group treatment for incest survivors. J Consult Clin Psychol 59:150-5 |
| Alexander, P C; Neimeyer, R A; Follette, V M et al. (1989) A comparison of group treatments of women sexually abused as children. J Consult Clin Psychol 57:479-83 |
