This paper addresses parents’ reactions to sexual abuse cases in their families. The study analyzed the clinical records of individual and family therapy sessions with 35 cases of Arab Palestinian clients, citizens of Israel (27 individuals and 8 families). Families were categorized as either functional or dysfunctional. It was concluded that the degree and type of relatedness of the perpetrator to the victim’s family influences the type of reaction more than the family’s level of functionality or the type of harm caused to the victim.
