Peer-reviewed article

Emerging Ideas: Is sibling aggression as scary as peer aggression in childhood and adolescence?

Corinna Jenkins Tucker, David Finkelhor B, Heather A. Turner · 28 Jan 2023

Abstract

Abstract Objective We compared the frequency of fearfulness for sibling versus peer victimization experiences (severe and minor physical, property, and psychological) in childhood and adolescence. Background Sibling aggression is not recognized as a childhood adversity. Yet a tenet of the family violence literature is that abuse is more fearsome when living with an abuser. Method Telephone interviews were conducted with parents of children aged 1 to 9 years and with adolescents 10 to 17 years old living with a juvenile sibling ( N = 7,029; 49% female) using data from three combined surveys of the National Survey on Children's Exposure to Violence. Results Fear of sibling aggression was less common than peer aggression. Further, sibling aggression was less fearful than peer aggression for severe and minor physical and property episodes. There was little variation by gender, ethnicity, and parent education level. Conclusions Children and adolescents do not lack fear from sibling aggression, but the fear is lower than for peer aggression. Implications A prevalent idea in the family violence literature that living with an offender generates more fear was not supported for sibling aggression.