Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence & Adult Attachment Types of Security, Pre-Occupation, Dismissiveness, and Fearfulness

Background: The association between physical and emotional sibling violence (PESV) and the conceptualization of attachment in close relationships in adulthood as closeness, dependency, and anxiety has been previously explored (Perkins & Lees, 2023). However, the examination of differences in PESV between security, pre-occupation, dismissiveness, and fearfulness as types of attachment in close relationships in adulthood remains unclear. The association of PESV with the adult attachment types of security, pre-occupation, dismissiveness, and fearfulness needs to be examined to better understand how this form of family violence may influence attachment in close relationships in adulthood. This study examined the similarities and differences between the adult attachment constructs of security, pre-occupation, dismissiveness, and fearfulness on PESV to better understand the potential need for social work practice interventions specifically related to experiences of PESV in childhood and subsequent repercussions in adulthood.

Methods: After IRB approval, participants (n=2458) were recruited through the sub-Reddit platform “/r/SampleSize: Where your opinions actually matter!” to participate in a survey asking about the frequency in which they experienced a set of 25 behaviors associated with PESV in childhood (Perkins, 2014) and the Revised Adult Attachment Scale-Close Relationships version (Collins, 1996). Along with demographics, a series of ANOVAs were run to examine whether there were differences in attachment styles based on experiencing physical sibling violence, emotional sibling violence, and total sibling violence. Post hoc Tukey’s HSD analysis was conducted to determine where the differences between attachment styles existed.

Results: Participants were 56.3% male, 65% Caucasian, with 36.7% having undergraduate degrees with a mean age of 27.41. Results indicated differences between adult attachment types based on physical, emotional, and total sibling violence frequency in childhood. In all three of the ANOVA models, those reporting dismissive and fearful adult attachment types experienced the highest frequency of PESV in childhood. For physical sibling violence (F(3,2016)=8.54, p<.001), secure (M=2.10) was significantly different than both dismissive (M=2.38) and fearful (M=2.29),with pre-occupied (M=2.18) also being significantly different than dismissive. For emotional sibling violence (F(3,2016)=9.99, p<.001), secure (M=2.18) was significantly different than both dismissive (M=2.44) and fearful (M=2.40).For total sibling violence (F(3,2016)=9.36, p<.001), secure (M=2.13) was significantly different than both dismissive (M=2.40) and fearful (M=2.33).

Conclusions and Implications: According to the findings, PESV in childhood may influence attachment in close relationships in adulthood. In understanding how one’s attachment has been formed, exposure to PESV may play a role in contributing more to insecure attachment types (i.e. dismissiveness and fearfulness). Future research should explore the specific mechanisms by which PESV impacts one’s ability to relate with others close to them in adulthood to better understand prevention and intervention strategies aimed at building more positive relationships throughout the lifecycle and especially at addressing PESV in childhood. Furthermore, results indicate the need for social work practitioners to attend to disclosure of PESV and how this form of family violence may influence one’s relationships and attachment with others in adulthood.