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Family structure has been implicated in child sexual abuse in that stepfathers are more likely perpetrators than are biological fathers, and children who have had a stepfather are at greater risk of abuse. The potential for role confusion in reconstituted families and the greater exposure of children to unrelated men as the mother seeks a new relationship have been postulated as contributing to this increased risk (Faller, 1990; Finkelhor et al., 1986; Russel, 1986).

A distinctive feature associated with chronically neglecting families is the chaotic and unpredictable character of the family system.14 One recent examination of the family dynamics and structures of neglectful families concluded that the changeable membership of a neglectful household presents unique challenges for the application of basic principles of family therapy to child neglect (Polansky et al., 1992). Rather than the two-parent family living in a stable location with two or three small children, the neglectful household is often characterized by a shifting constellation of adult and child figures, representing at times desperate efforts by the parent to keep the family together during times of economic and other social crisis. During periods of change, the household of the neglectful mother and her children becomes increasingly fragile, isolated, and detached from adult figures in the neighborhood, church, or other community structures that could offer assistance and support during times of unusual stress or deprivation. The family also may eventually be rejected by relatives and friends, who may show increasing disapproval of the mother's or children's behaviors, especially if substance abuse, delinquency, or other forms of addiction or dysfunctional behaviors are present. The effect on children of repeated fluctuations in the makeup of their household, in addition to child neglect, has not been examined in the research literature, although such changes are suspected to contribute to unrelatedness and detachment (Polansky et al., 1992).

Family relationships that affect the quality of parent-child interactions have also been considered in developing the context for understanding child sexual abuse (Finkelhor, 1984; Hartman and Burgess, 1989). Such factors include an estranged family; one in which the victim is closest to no one individual (Wyatt et al., in press); a mother who is absent, ill, or otherwise not protective of the child; social isolation of the family; lack of supervision of the child; unusual sleeping or rooming conditions; the erosion of social networks; and the lack of social supports for the mother (Finkelhor, 1984). Factors in the child's behavior, education, and relationships have also been considered, including the emotional security or social isolation of the child; knowledge about sexual abuse (which may be affected by school sex education programs); the relationship of trust between the offender and the child; and coercion.