Fraternal Rivalry or Sibling Abuse

Fraternal rivalry is common among brothers and sisters, yet there may come a point when the hurtful interaction between them could be seen as sibling abuse.

Sibling abuse

Sibling abuse is harmful behavior from one sibling to another which may be exhibited as emotional, verbal, physical, or sexual injury. Sibling abuse is hard to detect since many parents expect their kids to tease and quarrel with one another. The abuse is often not recognized immediately or not at all.

Emotional and verbal abuse

A little teasing is common and expected among kids, yet a pattern of constant name calling, mocking, or insulting should signal parents to intervene. Verbal abuse can be emotionally traumatizing, leaving lasting impressions on the victim. Feelings of worthlessness and an increased chance of depression can originate from emotional or verbal abuse experienced as a child.

Physical abuse

Two kids fighting over a toy is bound to happen. One of them may take a swing at the other; pull hair, or even bite. When a child violently and repeatedly lashes out at another however, it can signal physical sibling abuse. With physical abuse among siblings, one child is usually always the victim while another is the aggressor. If not addressed early, the victim may grow to be fearful of others or oppositely accepting of physical abuse. Additionally, the aggressor may not get the help they need for their violent behavior which may be evident in the way they treat others as an adult.

Sexual abuse

While emotional, verbal and physical abuse can happen whether or not a parent is present, sexual abuse is typically hidden from parent’s knowledge.  Children who are victims may begin acting out inappropriate scenes with their friends or toys.  Sometimes the only way parents may suspect abuse is occurring is when they observe destressing behavioral changes in the victim.

Criminal charges for aggressor

If sibling abuse is suspected or observed, parents must do all they can to curb the behavior immediately and obtain the psychological assistance that both the victim and the aggressor require. Unchecked sibling abuse could end in criminal charges for the aggressor such as assault, domestic violence, or other charges related to sexual misconduct and a lifetime of emotional and trust issues for the victim.