“Silent screams”: Family perceptions in the drawings of incest victim children

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the family perceptions in the drawings of children exposed to incest. Design and methodsThis qualitative research involved 25 child survivors of incest, all of whom were examined and subjected to forensic interviews at a facility in northern Türkiye specializing in cases of child sexual abuse. The data were collected using the “Child and Family Descriptive Information Form”, the “Abuser Descriptive Information Form”, the “Family Drawing Test”, and the “Semi-structured Interview Form”. ResultsThe children's drawings were subjected to a projective analysis, leading to the identification of three key themes: the distress of confronting incest; unbalanced power and role allocation in the family; and dysfunctional family dynamics.”. These themes were discerned by examining the connections and coherence between the categories. ConclusionIt is concluded in the study that who are exposed to incest perceived a trauma experience that affected the whole family, perceived unbalanced power and role allocation in the family with authoritarian-aggressive and submissive-oppressed roles, and had negative perceptions of family dynamics such as emotional ties, family integrity, and social interaction. Implications to practiceThis study emphasizes the need to restructure the issues of familial trauma, power and role imbalance, and unmet needs within the family while planning for trauma in nursing approaches to children who are victims of incest.