Group Psychotherapy for Women With a History of Incest: The Research Base

Abstract

Although group psychotherapy for women with incest histories has a long tradition as an intervention, the research base on which it rests is in an early stage of development. This integrated literature review demonstrates the wide range of adequacy of current studies. Because the studies differed considerably in methodology and reporting, they were categorized and assessed by 6 criteria (Haynes, Taylor, & Sackett, 1979): design, sample, inclusion criteria, replicability, analysis, and outcome. Twenty‐one studies met the criteria and could be rated. Most of these studies (n = 14) were descriptive or a case study in nature. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are addressed.