ABSTRACT

The course and outcome of therapy for 22 girls, victims of incest, referred to a child psychiatry clinic, are reviewed. Obstacles to carrying out successful psychotherapy are found to include economic, procedural, social, counter-transference-related and intrapsychic factors. Diagnostic features of post-traumatic stress disorder were observed in our patients with an associated pattern of pseudomature coping behavior concealing underlying severe symptomatology. The sobering findings of the study point to an intensive treatment approach.