Sibling aggression and abuse go beyond rivalry – bullying within a family can have lifelong repercussions
Sometimes the nature of siblings’ interactions go too far. Parents and mental health and medical professionals should take sibling aggression as seriously as they do peer bullying. Stopping and preventing sibling aggression and abuse can improve children’s safety and well-being.
Emerging Ideas: Is sibling aggression as scary as peer aggression in childhood and adolescence?
National survey shows 47% of children and 50% of adolescents have been victimized by a brother or sister, and frequency of the associated fear is notable. Our work supports calls to increase awareness of sibling victimization, its dynamics, and its links to worse mental and physical health.
UNH to Establish New Sibling Aggression and Abuse Initiative
According to national surveys, one-third of children have been physically assaulted by a brother or a sister in the past year. To help reduce its prevalence and impact, the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire is establishing a new Sibling Aggression and Abuse Research and Advocacy Initiative (SAARA) that will work to change the perception that sibling aggression and abuse is not serious as well as provide guidance on how to prevent its occurrence.
