Jones G P
Institute for the Study of Women and Men in Society, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
J Homosex. 1990;20(1-2):275-95. doi: 10.1300/J082v20n01_16.
Intergenerational intimacy, social as well as sexual, has been studied in the United States and abroad for some time. In recent years the general trend has been to label such behavior "child sexual abuse." Interest in this type of abuse has generated a considerable amount of more or less scientific literature, some of which seems to have been produced in a "rush to judgment" attempt to build a "professional" literature that supports popular beliefs. This tradition of child-abuse-defined literature, along with the work of investigative and helping agencies which some refer to as a "child abuse industry," has fostered a one-sided, simplistic picture of intergenerational intimacy. A close look at the empirical studies in this tradition reveals flaws associated with two problems: the studies nearly always (1) maintain a narrow focus on sexual contact, and (2) proceed from the related basic assumption that sexual contact in intergenerational relationships by definition constitutes abuse. While sexual abuse certainly occurs, those who apply this assumption to all situations are ignoring empirical findings that show otherwise. Research outside the "child sexual abuse" tradition reveals a broader range of intergenerational relationships outside the family, including a number of aspects which typically are not seen when the focus is on the sexual. Some studies show clearly that even when sexual contact is involved, negative outcomes are not inevitable. This indicates the need for a much broader approach. Further research in North American society and in other cultures would help us to understand more accurately the diversity and possible benefits of intergenerational intimacy.
代际间的亲密关系，包括社交和性方面的关系，在美国及其他国家已经被研究了一段时间。近年来，总体趋势是将此类行为贴上“儿童性虐待”的标签。对这种虐待行为的关注催生了大量或多或少带有科学性的文献，其中一些似乎是在“急于下判断”的情况下产生的，试图构建一种支持大众观念的“专业”文献。这种将儿童虐待定义为文献的传统，连同一些人所称的“儿童虐待产业”的调查和帮助机构的工作，促成了对代际亲密关系的片面、简单化的描述。仔细审视这一传统中的实证研究，会发现与两个问题相关的缺陷：这些研究几乎总是（1）将关注点局限于性接触，（2）基于相关的基本假设，即代际关系中的性接触从定义上讲就构成虐待。虽然性虐待确实存在，但那些将这一假设应用于所有情况的人忽视了显示并非如此的实证研究结果。“儿童性虐待”传统之外的研究揭示了家庭之外更广泛的代际关系范围，包括一些当关注点在性方面时通常看不到的方面。一些研究清楚地表明，即使涉及性接触，负面结果也并非不可避免。这表明需要一种更广泛的方法。在北美社会和其他文化中进行进一步研究将有助于我们更准确地理解代际亲密关系的多样性和可能的益处。
