Attributions for blame and responsibility among female incest victims

Attributions concerning blame and responsibility for incest were assessed prior to therapy among 40 female victims. Also, relationships between causal attributions and emotional distress were investigated. Assessments of blame as attributed to “offender”, “victim”, “society”, and “situation” were obtained and correlated with measures of anxiety, depression, and hostility. Beliefs about responsibility for resolution of the incest problem were assessed and delineated also. An ANOVA on blame scores revealed a significant main effect (F = 78.62, df = 3, 117 p < .0001). Comparison procedures indicated the victims blamed the offender (p < .01) more than society, the situation, or the victim. However, there was no difference between societal and situational blame. Society and the situation were blamed (p < .01) more than the victim. No significant correlations between the blame attributions and distress levels were found. Victims’ beliefs concerning responsibility for resolution of the incest problem were analyzed. An ANOVA performed on “offender”, “victim”, “society”, and “situational” responsibility items did not yield a significant main effect.