Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence & Sibling Rivalry: Parental Perspectives on Problematization

Background

Sibling violence often receives less attention than other forms of family violence (Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 2006). Recent research suggests sibling assault occurs in approximately 30% of children aged 0-17 at some point in their childhood (Finkelhor, Turner, Shattuck, & Hamby, 2015). Despite being viewed as synonymous or associated with sibling violence (Noland et al., 2004), sibling rivalry appears to be fundamentally different. Sibling rivalry has been defined as jealousy between siblings and the competition for family resources (Hart, 2001). Although not clearly defined in the literature, sibling violence can be defined as any behavior or act (physical and/or emotional/psychological) between siblings with the intent to harm.

Despite the prevalence of physical and emotional violence in family systems and apparent differentiation between “violence” and “rivalry,” attempts to understand the differentiation between sibling violence and sibling rivalry are scant. Some studies have asked parents to note violent behaviors they witnessed between their children (see Finkelhor et al., 2006); however, until now most studies have not included parental perceptions of observed violence and how they view violence between siblings as being different from sibling rivalry.

Methodology

As part of a larger mixed-methods research design and consistent with comparative case study methodology (Yin, 2014) seven parents from four different family structures (biological two-parent, blend, LGBT, and single-parent), completed a quantitative measure (Behaviors Associated with Sibling Violence and Sibling Rivalry Instrument) and participated in an open-ended qualitative interview examining attitudes and perceptions of sibling violence and sibling rivalry. Grounded in a mixed-methods collective data analytic process (Creswell & Plano-Clark, 2011), data from both phases were analyzed to understand how parents differentiate sibling violence from sibling rivalry.  

Results

Participants noted more behaviors from the Behaviors Associated with Sibling Violence and Sibling Rivalry Instrument to be indicative solely of “Sibling Violence” (14 of 25 behaviors) than “Sibling Rivalry” (9 of 25 behaviors). However, most behaviors were identified as “Both Sibling Violence and Sibling Rivalry” with all 25 behaviors being placed in this category by at least one participant. While no substantial differences existed between parents based on family configuration, in both the quantitative or qualitative components, participants associated more physical behaviors with sibling violence and emotional/psychological behaviors with sibling rivalry.

Conclusion

Given the results of the quantitative and qualitative data, a clear delineation between sibling violence and sibling rivalry was not found. It is possible emotional/psychological violence between siblings may be dismissed as rivalry, yet the consequences of this form of sibling violence can be devastating for children (Wiehe, 1997). Distinguishing between sibling violence and sibling rivalry to better address instances where violence occurs is important as parents are likely principle responders to problematic situations between siblings. Knowledge of how and why parents respond to certain behaviors may provide social workers with ways in which psychoeducation as an intervention can help parents understand the context for their beliefs and thoughts around sibling violence in order to help prevent and address this type of family violence.