title: Alleged biological father incest: a forensic approach.
abstract: Paternal incest is one of the most serious forms of intrafamilial sexual abuse with clinical, social, and legal relevance. A retrospective study was performed, based on forensic reports and judicial decisions of alleged cases of biological paternal incest of victims under 18 years old (n = 215) from 2003 to 2008. Results highlight that in a relevant number of cases: victims were female; the abuse begun at an early age with reiteration; the alleged perpetrator presented a history of sexual crimes against children; sexual practices were physically poorly intrusive, which associated with a forensic medical evaluation performed more than 72 h after the abuse, explain partially the absence of physical injuries or other evidence-these last aspects are different from extrafamilial cases. In conclusion, observations about paternal incest are likely to exacerbate the psychosocial consequences of the abuse and may explain the difficulty and delay in detect and disclose these cases. Few cases were legally prosecuted and convicted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vânia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jardim
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taveira
authors.forename: Ricardo J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dinis-Oliveira
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magalhães
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007179:Incest / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014314:Trisomy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: biological father; children; forensic medical evaluation; forensic science; incest; intrafamilial; judicial outcomes