Emotional deprivation is another common element in the manifestation of incest within a family. Emotional deprivation is common when the attention of the caregiver is focused away from the immediate welfare of the children or family. An example of this might well be the addict, that put’s their need for a drink or a substance above the welfare or emotional needs of their family members. Another posture of this dynamic is the caregiver or parent that engages in sexual behavior with a child to meet their needs for sexual gratification and attachment.

Incest frequently creates emotional damages such as poor self worth and a sense of being soiled, damaged and unworthy of being lovable, primarily because in the egocentric mind of a child if the parent ignores the child’s wants and safety then the child can’t be that important, lovable, or worthwhile. It is quite common for incest victims to develop an attitude or belief that they are defective, and be ashamed because they are inferior and unworthy of love and attention that isn’t sexual in nature. Sometimes this leads family members to develop insecurities of many types and varieties, being self-conscious and shy and a feeling that their own wants and desires are somehow unworthy and illegitimate.

Finally, a prominent response to this family dynamic is a withdrawal or isolation from others, especially family members. If left unchecked a sense of paranoia and expectation that other people will take advantage or intentional inflict hurt if they have the opportunity can become prevalent. This generally creates a binary response in the child as they mature, one response is to find and use mechanisms to create distance and safety and the other is an increase in promiscuity and acting out in sexually provocative ways.

Community behavioral health settings have a very high representation of incest as a contributing factor in treatment of children, though it is seldom the problem that the child presents with. One might say there is also an emerging awareness that a substantial number of their clients are incest survivors. There are studies that have estimated that 37.5 percent of all non-schizophrenic girls and around 8 percent of the boys that receive behavioral health services have been incestuously victimized.