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Sibling Rivalry

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Sibling Rivalry
Sibling Abuse: The Truth

Sibling child abuse is a hidden epidemic in the United States. Parents and caregivers often conclude this form of violence to be simple sibling rivalry, and a part of growing up. Sibling abuse is any form of physical, mental or sexual abuse inflicted by one child in a family unit on another. This could apply to blood relatives, step-siblings, or any minors living in a house of cohabitation. The negative impact sibling rivalry and abuse can have on a person mentally is overwhelming, insuring further life difficulties.

The effects of sibling abuse are different from the effects of stranger or acquaintance abuse due to the victim can have a feeling of being trapped by the abuser over a long period of time. A National Family Violence Survey was conducted to construct the following characteristics of sibling abuse: Sibling abuse occurs at a higher rate among children in families in which both child abuse and intimate partner abuse are present, sibling assaults are higher in families with child abuse than those with intimate partner abuse, both sexes participate in sibling abuse, but boys are more likely engage.

It is my belief that first, the role of rivalry should be clarified. In addition to pursuing further research on sibling conflict and its developmental implications, researchers should rely less on self-reports and utilizes observational methods. Until we broaden the scope of research and fill in the many

gaps in our knowledge about sibling interactions, including conflict, we cannot clarify the role siblings play in competitiveness and in each other’s development mentally, and socially. Second, we need to father investigate the implications of parental involvement and parenting styles and their direct impact on sibling’s social skills. The question of whether parent’s involvement in childhood conflict properly prepares siblings for peer conflict later in life needs to be resolved.

A 1992 study of

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