What is sibling abuse?
Sibling abuse is the physical, emotional or sexual abuse of one sibling by another [1]. The physical abuse can range from more mild forms of aggression between siblings, such as pushing and shoving, to very violent behavior such as using weapons. Often parents don’t see the abuse for what it is. As a rule, parents and society expect fights and aggression among siblings. Because of this, parents often don’t see sibling abuse as a problem until serious harm occurs. Besides the direct dangers of sibling abuse, the abuse can cause all kinds of long-term problems on into adulthood. Listen: YourChild podcast interview on sibling abuse with UM expert Brenda Volling, Ph.D. How common is sibling abuse? Research shows that violence between siblings is quite common. In fact, it is probably even more common than child abuse (by parents) or spouse abuse [1]. The most violent members of American families are the children. Experts estimate that three children in 100 are dangerously violent toward a b
