w self-esteem (p. 430). In addition, there is evidence to support the claim that former victims of father-daughter incest have more sexual problems than other women. In this regard, a study by Charmoli and Athelstan (1988) indicates that former incest victims have a higher incidence of "vaginal problems, negative emotional reactions to sex, compulsive sex, and total sexual problems" (p. 63). Charmoli & Athelstan also note that the most severe cases of sexual dysfunction in adulthood result when: the victims are under the age of eight at the time of occurrence; the perpetrator is substantially older than the victim; the incest occurs on a frequent basis; and others react negatively to the victim's disclosure of the experience (p. 63).
There are various theories which try to explain the causes of father-daughter incest. Some of these theories are based upon Freud's conception of the Oedipal fantasy. Freud believed that all children go through a phase in which they experience feelings of sexual attraction toward their opposite-sex parent. This is considered to be a normal, healthy step in the development of the child's psyche. However, in the incestuous family, this stage of life is abnormal because the daughter's unconscious desire to have sex with her father goes beyond the level of fantasy and becomes reality. Diamond (1989) claims that "a father's seductive behavior may weaken the ch
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