Abstract
The aim of this Master’s Thesis is to examine why parents sexually abuse their children. Specifically, the purpose is to create knowledge about the issue relevant to the people dealing with it on a daily basis, such as teachers, social pedagogues, social workers, and psychologists.

In order to achieve these aims the Thesis first explores the historical development and scope of sexual abuse. Next, the issue is illuminated from three theoretical perspectives, each including various psychological theories contributing to a comprehensive view on the issue. Firstly, sexual abuse is placed in an individual-oriented perspective, examining individual factors contributing to parents sexually abusing a child, such as gender and the child in question. Secondly, sexual abuse is viewed in a family-oriented perspective, elucidating family related parameters involved, such as boundary issues, step parents and economic status. Thirdly, a societal perspective is employed, exploring the elements of taboo and reluctance, gender roles and societal development and their influence on parental sexual abuse. The three theoretical perspectives has different answers to the problem, and each theoretical perspective are discussed in order to obtain the most comprehensive understanding of why parents abuse their children.

In addition, the Thesis includes a practice-oriented perspective on the issue, comparing the knowledge subtracted from the three theoretical perspectives with material drawn from semi-structured qualitative research interviews with two different social workers. This with the aim of exploring whether theory and practice are consistent. The possible causes for sexual abuse are finally synthesized in an illustrative model, thus creating an overview of the individual, familial and societal factors possibly playing a role in parental sexual abuse.

The synthesis aims to provide an overview of the risk factors that exist in the individual, the family and society. The synthesis highlights the fact that no single risk factor or perspective serves as a sufficient explanation of why parents sexually abuse their own child. Rather so, different factors relating to the parents and/or the child, the family as a whole as well as society, in sum may explain why some parents sexually abuse their own child. It can be concluded that the causes of parental sexual abuse are thus not clear-cut, but rather multifactorial.