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 pai d to the impact of the abuse an the daughter's relationship with her m other, other than to hold the mother accountable for the abuse. Phenom enological 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 f eminist analysis informs this discussion of developmental and contextu al factors related to these themes, and forms the basis for highlighti ng the clinical implications of mother-daughter issues when working wi th adult survivors of paternal incestuous abuse.