Prevalence and correlates of sibling victimization types

Abstract

Objective

The goal of this study was to document the prevalence and correlates of any past year sibling victimization, including physical, property, and psychological victimization, by a co-residing juvenile sibling across the spectrum of childhood from one month to 17 years of age.

Methods

The National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence data set (N = 1,705) was used which includes telephone interviews conducted with an adult caregiver (usually a parent) about one child randomly selected from all eligible children living in a household. If the selected child was 10–17 years old, the main telephone interview was conducted with the child.

Results

Sibling victimization rates were 37.6% for the full sample, peaking at 45% for the 2–5 year olds and 46% for the 6–9 year olds. Rates were higher for males, whites, and those who were closer in age to their sibling. Sibling victimization was also higher in brother–brother pairs and among children who had a parent with some college education.

Conclusion

The results add to a growing body of literature on aggressive sibling behavior by demonstrating the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to studying sibling victimization and considering individual, sibling, and family correlates of such behavior. This study's approach to the study of sibling aggression also extends the literature on this generally unrecognized form of family violence.

Department

Family Studies

Publication Date

4-2013

Journal Title

Child Abuse & Neglect

Publisher

Elsevier

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.01.006

Document Type

Article

Rights

Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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