The study's primary hypothesis was that stronger associations would be obtained on indicators of distress, such as depression, fear, and anxiety, for father-victim dyadic relationships than for mother-victim dyadic relationships. Study subjects included 32 families referred from various sources, including community mental health centers, law enforcement agencies, child protection agencies, private practitioners, and the Family Service Center of a local military base. Child victims were assessed using the 37-item Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Children's Depression Inventory, and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children. Parental emotional distress was evaluated using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Results indicated that victims' self-reported levels of anxiety were significantly related to both maternal and paternal indicators of distress. Maternal, rather than paternal, distress was associated with victims' self-reported fears, and no significant associations were obtained between parental distress and victims' self-reported depression. Additionally, no significant differences were noted in the magnitude of correlations between father/victim and mother/victim distress levels. In contrast to clinical accounts, the study did not find evidence of emotional enmeshment between victim and father/perpetrator. Rather, the results suggested that a dynamic of familial enmeshment is present in incest families.