African American pastors' beliefs and actions regarding childhood incest in the African American community

This quantitative study sought to explore African American pastors' beliefs and actions regarding childhood incest in the African American community and their decisions to inform the proper authorities. This exploratory study was developed in order to draw both public and academic attention to the understudied phenomenon of childhood incest within the African American community. The participants for this study were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. The sample consisted of 52 African American male pastors with a minimum of one year as a pastor with experience among predominately African American Church of God in Christ (COGIC) congregations in the state of Texas. Jackson Incest Blame Scale (JIBS) and Personal Background Questionnaire (PBQ) were used to answer the five research questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of this study indicated that African American pastors believe that childhood incest exists in the African American community. The exploration of beliefs regarding childhood incest in the African American community is that both the victim blame and offender characteristics are important in reporting childhood incest to the proper authorities. In addition, the most significant results indicate that the educational level of pastors is very important in the attribution of blame in cases of childhood incest in the African American family and community.