1. Sibling Violence & Sexual Abuse
John V. Caffaro, PhD
Distinguished Professor
California School of Professional Psychology
Alliant International University
Los Angeles, California
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Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

2. Sibship Metaphors Blood Brothers Black Brothers Brothers-in-Arms
Brotherly Love
Fraternities
Brother, Can you spare a dime?
Sisterhood is Powerful
Sister Cities
Soul Sisters
Sisters of Mercy
Sororities
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

3. Overview of the Sibling Context
Despite dramatic declines in family size in the West, almost 80% of children live in a home with at least one sibling (Fields, 2003)
Siblings constitute our closest genetic and often, longest-lasting interpersonal relationship – outlasting parents by years
Sibling interdependence begins early
In majority of societies, siblings are principle caretakers and companions of young children (Caffaro, 2007)
Also share family history-- what if that history is marked by aggression and violence?
Understanding sibling context is important: sib relationship may be useful entry point for inducing positive change in youths’ behavior and adjustment (e.g., Kramer, 2004)
Yet, pandemic nature of sibling violence vastly under-recognized and under-studied
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

4. Sibling Relationships Across the Lifespan…
Early Childhood
Parents’ role imp. in shaping sibling relations
By age 4, 2nd borns spend more time talking & playing with older siblings than with parents
Adolescence
Siblings generally become less important and peers more important
Establishment of conflict resolution skills significant
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

5. Sibling Relationships Across the Lifespan
Adulthood
Complete sibling cutoff infrequent (<6%)
Sister-sister bond usually closest
In later adulthood, men benefit from close relationship with a sister
Single best predictor of emotional health at age 65 years was having a close relationship with one’s sibling in college; this was more predictive than childhood closeness to parents, emotional problems in childhood, or parental divorce—more predictive, even, than having had a successful marriage or career (Vaillant & Vaillant, 1990)
There is also evidence to suggest that men who had poor sibling relationships during childhood are at significantly greater risk for depression in adulthood (Wadlinger, Vaillant, & Orav, 2007
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

6. Some Developmental Observations
Siblings perceive same family events differently
Each child actually inhabits his or her own unique niche in the ecology of the family, and it is within these sibling microenvironments that formative aspects of development occur
Two children growing up in same home might have very different experiences of that family
Parents might treat them differently (2/3 of mothers acknowledge feeling more affection for one child over another—but siblings also interact differently with each other).
Siblings have separate relationships which change when others intrude
Sibs tend to recall events in ways which stress their own identity in contrast to sib & reinforce frozen roles. Get each sib percep. of abuse. Non-shared exp imp. in determining uniqueness of each child.
Parents do not always need to treat their children “the same” in order to enjoy positive relationships. Best parents can hope for is feeling of “overall fairness” re different children in same home.
Challenge is to develop perspective-taking, empathy, while de-identifying
2. MOST STUDIES OF SIB ABUSE RELY ON PARENTAL REPORT—RESULTS IN UNDER-REPORTING. OFTEN ONE SET OF RULES IN PRESENCE OF PARENTS & ANOTHER SPECIFIC TO SIB DOMAIN
The discovery that children brought up in same family are no more similar that they would be if they had been brought up on different planets shows how poorly we understand development of personality—what we know is that childhood is a jungle… and first problem that children face is how to hold their own among siblings and peers.
Sib influence covert yet prominent thru lifespan.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

7. Integrative – Developmental Approach…
Attachment theory
Role of empathic other
Levels of empathy: distinguish abusive v. nonabusive sibling relations
Siblings may become “emotional stand-ins” for unavailable caregivers and thus, powerful attachment figures
Suggests broadening of the notion of who a child’s caregivers are, beyond parents to include siblings
Inner representations of sibling may serve as template for future close relationships
Especially those which “resemble” sibling interpersonal style
Essential step in development of identity. It’s thought that empathy development is related to the estab./maintenance of emotional ties to parental care givers. Follows that the greatest conflicts=threats to these ties. i.e. attachment-related difficulties. Clients will display attachment styles in ongoing treatment alliance
Carryover” Model: sibling and friend relationships are expected to share major similarities (Lockwood et al., 2001)
Parents’ under-involvement in the care and supervision of children can lead to increased access and opportunity for siblings; this increases the vulnerability for sibling incest or assault.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

8. Integrative – Developmental Approach
Bowen Systems Theory
Development of basic self thru differentiation continuum process
Fusion (stuck togetherness)
De-identification
Normally differentiation requires that children be able to identify with some characteristics of siblings and de-identify with others (mitigates rivalry and facilitates conflict resolution)
In many dysfunctional families, frozen images lead to solidification of inequitable victim and offender sibling roles.
SELF PSYCH
Children do use their siblings to perform selfobject functions for them when the family environment is seriously compromised by illness, psychological distress, or the physical or emotional absence of one, or more typically both, parents.
In particular, there is the reparative role siblings can play in each other’s lives when there is parental abuse or neglect.
Although absent or deficient parenting can promote intensified sibling bonding, this attachment is not always beneficial.
Children who seek out their siblings to fulfill selfobject functions face lasting consequences to their adult psychology because their siblings almost inevitably fail to fully meet their needs
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

9. The Sibling Domain
Sibling rivalry and fighting are usually considered a normal part of family life
Words “sibling” and “rivalry” synonymous in our society
Pundits throughout history have enjoyed thrashing siblings
“As a rule, there is only one person an English girl hates more than her mother; and that’s her eldest sister”
--George Bernard Shaw
Rivalry alone, however, not sufficient to explain presence or absence of sibling violence
Interdependence of family unit means that favoritism, scapegoating, power imbalances stemming from parent-child coalitions all contribute to increased sib aggression
Key determinants include: how often, how long has behavior been occurring? Is it age appropriate, and is one child chronically victimized by another?
Don’t forget Freud’s contribution—conceived of family as kind of “domestic boxing ring” over scarce commodity of maternal love.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

10. Culture and the Sibling Domain…
Preponderance of Western-bred research makes primacy of sibling rivalry appear normal and universal
However, 70% of world’s population lives in collective cultures
Many teach children to value a sibling’s welfare as equal to--or more important than their own
One study of 186 societies suggest that in majority, siblings and other children are principle caretakers and companions of young children
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

11. Culture and the Sibling Domain…
“Your brother or sister; you can deny them nothing”…Ashanti tribe, West Africa
In Vietnam, terms of address for lovers & spouses are anh (“big brother”) and em (“little sister”)
India: Despite tradition that there is a strict hierarchy even among siblings, and children are supposed to respect their older brothers and sisters and the older ones are expected to protect and support younger ones, discussions with parents reveals that violence between children in India is also commonplace. Further, although tradition dictates that brothers serve as protectors for their sisters, in many families they also are found to be the aggressors of their sisters.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

12. Culture and the Sibling Domain
Greater affluence of Western cultures permits siblings to be far more independent of one another
Freedom can also present a hazard--far more challenging to develop & maintain strong sibling bonds
Rivalry is a factor in many sibling relationships, even a dominant one in some families
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

13. Sibling Rivalry v. Violence
Normal and mostly harmless part of growing up
Sibling interaction which leads to healthy competition without anyone getting hurt can be safely ignored
Give example re sibling rivalry in my family--ie sister and I playing “name that tune” in back seat of car
Evidence that this sort of rivalry teaches children how to share, compromise, and win without humiliation as well as lose without self debasement
In such cases, sibling rotate roles of winner and loser with more balance overall
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

14. Sibling violence - Definitional Criteria (Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 1998; 2005)
Repeated instances of physical aggression with resultant harm
Escalating pattern of aggression that parents seem unwilling or unable to stop
Role rigidity resulting in the solidification of victim and abuser sibling roles
PATTERN OF PREDICTABLE VICTIM AND OFFENDER ROLES BASED ON INHERENT INEQUALITY STRONGLY SUGESTS ABUSE
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

15. Gender and Sibling Aggression - Males
Boys less likely to report being victims of sibling violence (Duncan, 1999; Goodwin & Roscoe, 1990)
Important because male victims tend to be overlooked
Research (Finkelhor et al., 2009) suggests that adults should be equally vigilant in protecting young boys as in protecting young girls.
Boys more likely to be perpetrators of sibling violence
May be linked to societal messages boys receive about being tough
Clinicians should be willing to explore with male offenders their attitudes about masculinity.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

16. Gender and Sibling Aggression – Females …
Lack of attention directed toward girls who perpetrate sibling violence may be linked to the gender stereotype that boys are aggressive and girls are not.
Mistaken belief that girls are not strong enough to do serious damage
Straus, Gelles, and Steinmetz (1980) confirmed boys are more severely violent toward their siblings than girls (59 percent versus 46 percent), but “differences not as great as stereotypes would suggest”
Relational aggression – not usually included in studies of sibling aggression
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

17. Gender and Sibling Sexual Aggression - Females
Female adolescent offenders quite different from male counterparts
More frequently among younger youth who commit sex offenses
Involved in more multiple-victim episodes
More likely to have victims who are family members (Finkelhor, Ormrod & Chaffin, 2009)
More likely to be exposed to sexual abuse, have earlier age at onset, and more likely to have witnessed prior trauma (Winokur et al 2009)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

18. Fathers and Sibling Aggression
Father’s role may be particularly salient in forecasting quality of sibling relations
Father-to-child violence is significant predictor of sibling violence (Noland, et al., 2004)
Male children report higher levels of sibling violence and more closely identify and imitate father’s behavior
Lower levels of paternal acceptance and involvement associated with negative effects on children and higher levels of sibling violence (Brody, Stoneman, & McCoy, 1994)
Siblings who characterized their fathers as warn and treated siblings fairly had much lower levels of sibling aggression (Stocker & McHale, 1992)
Peripheral fathers are overrepresented in families experiencing sibling violence
Father’s role with sons also related to empathy development –
Amount of time a father spends with his children and specifically, father who is able to display tender emotions, contributes an imp ingredient for development of empathy in male children
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

19. Couples and Sibling Aggression
Intergenerational transmission of violence in many families flows from adults to children
Violent sibling relationship can be mirror for high-conflict marriage
Children exposed to parental violence learn to model assaultive behavior
Less about how to act aggressively than about the “conditions under which aggression may be applied in intimate relationships.”
By-products of growing up with interparental violence include:
Accepting violence as a way to resolve conflicts
Rationalizing use of violence under stressful conditions
Devaluing females
Correlation between DV and sib violence strong enough such that all DV families should be assessed for presence of sibling violence
Chronic parental conflict may also teach children to reject parental authority and “fight it out themselves.”
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

20. Incidence Results of a recent national U.S. study (Finkelhor, 2006)
35% of national survey of 2,030 children interviewed had been “hit or attacked” by sibling in past year
14% repeatedly attacked by a sibling
Children ages 2-9 who were repeatedly attacked were 2X as likely as others their age to show severe symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression, including sleeplessness, suicidal ideation, and fear of the dark
-- Sibling victimizations most common for 6-9 year olds
-- Experience assoc with most symptoms was chronic sibling violence against younger children (5 or more episodes in year)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

21. Traumatic Effects …
National surveys of family violence suggest that sibling maltreatment might be most common form of intrafamilial abuse
Sibling violence is estimated to occur in 60% of American families with more than one child. The violence is believed to peak as the oldest sibling in the dyad reaches the age of years (Noland, Liller, McDermott, Coulter, and Seraphine, 2004)
Experts generally agree that the most violent members of the American family are the children
May also be most potentm high conflict
Sibling violence, particularly for child in offender role, may be more predictive of later violence than parent-child violence
Relationship between sibling violence and later aggression firmly established (Button & Gealt, 2010; Hendy, Burns, Can & Scherer, 2011)
Link between sibling assault and subsequent dating violence in males (Noland et al., 2004)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

22. Traumatic Effects …
Power to shape the adult survivor’s emotional life & worldview
Adults from high-conflict sibling dyads experience lower self esteem and greater anxiety (Graham-Bermann & Cutler, 1992)
So, why isn’t there more research or clinical interest?
One important reason for lack of research is common perception that childhood sibling aggression is not as serious as similar acts between adults or older youth
However, conventional wisdom that sibling violence is less injurious for younger children is not supported by empirical evidence
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

23. Traumatic Effects Presumptions
Child offenders not as strong; victims therefore, not as damaged by threats
Child-on-child violence developmentally normal; therefore victims feel less stigmatized and violated
Children are developmentally more resilient when child perpetrators involved
Presumption of mutual responsibility in terms like scuffle, fights, squabbles often used to describe sibling conflict
Critique of Presumptions
Lack of socialization often make child offenders more, not less dangerous. Remember, sex crimes are believed to be more injurious the earlier they are experienced
Children may have much more intense and on-going contact with sibling assailants than would most adult victims
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

24. Sibling Sexual Abuse
Sibling sexual abuse is a complex life experience: not a diagnosis or disorder
An array of sexual activities covered by the term sibling sexual abuse
These include intercourse, attempted intercourse, oral-genital contact, fondling of genitals directly or through clothing, exhibitionism or exposing children to adult sexual activity or pornography, and the use of the child for prostitution or pornography
This diversity alone ensures that there will be a range of outcomes
In addition, age and gender of the child, age and gender of the perpetrator, nature of the relationship between child and perpetrator, and number, frequency, & duration of abuse experiences all appear to influence outcomes
Thus, sexually abused children constitute a very heterogeneous group with many degrees of abuse about whom few simple generalizations hold
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

25. Sibling Sexual Abuse …
Occurs at rates that rival and perhaps, exceed other forms of incest (Bank & Kahn, 1982; Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 1998; Hardy, 2001)
Associated with many harmful effects including: depression, sexual dysfunction in adulthood, increased risk for further abuse
Vast majority of abusive sexual contact between siblings includes a misuse of power
Absence of generational boundary violation may pose added therapeutic challenges
Siblings more readily believe they were active participants in abuse
Victims of sibling sexual abuse (as compared to Father daughter incest) more likely to say it was voluntary
Victim may be more ambivalent about responsibility for abuse when half -, or stepsiblings are involved
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

26. Sibling Sexual Abuse …
Starts earlier (<8 yrs) as compared to Father-daughter incest or stranger molest – often 1st sexual experience for sisters
Sibling offenders more likely to have CSA history, exposure to pornography and DV
Exposure for victims also harmful
Early exposure to pornography may impair victim’s ability to avoid deter, or negotiate from dangerous situations, or what Finkelhor (2008) has termed the “protection” process
Factors such as developmental differences, victimization history, use of coercion, spousal violence, all figure prominently in treatment decisions
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

27. Sibling Sexual Abuse …
Our national awareness and response to child sexual abuse has changed dramatically in the past 2 decades resulting in declines of up to 30% according to several comprehensive studies (Finkelhor, 2008; Finkelhor & Jones, 2006; 2004)
What receives considerably less attention is the fact more than one-third of the sexual abuse of America's children is committed by other minors
Estimated that between 40‐60% of intrafamilial abuse occurs between people from the same generation (Bentovim, Vizard, & Hollows, 1991; Ryan, Miyoshi, Metzner, Krugman, & Fryer, 1996).
Significant number of these children are siblings, in particular, brothers, residing the same household
The sexual abuse of children has an enormous impact on the child, family, and the community (World Health Organization, 2002).
While the literature on adolescent sex offending has rapidly expanded in recent years, there is comparatively little focus specifically addressing the issue of sibling sexual abuse.
NCANDS Database
Studies estimate that approximately half of all adolescent-perpetrated offenses involve a sibling (Goldman & Goldman, 1998; Shaw, 1999).
Yet, no NCANDS category for sibling offender exists
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

28. Distinguishing Between Sibling Sexual Behavior Problems & Abuse …
Lack of universally acceptable criteria makes collecting reliable data challenging—extant literature plagued by definitional inconsistencies
Children with sexual behavior problems (SBP)
12 yrs and under who initiate behaviors involving sexual body parts (i.e, genitals, anus, buttocks, breast)
May involve self or others
May be frequent or infrequent
Occur during times of stress, anger, frustration
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

29. Distinguishing Between Sibling Sexual Behavior Problems & Abuse
One way to distinguish normal curiosity from child-on-child sexual abuse is the presence or absence of aggression, force or coercion
However, sometimes sexual abuse that appears consensual is based on fear
Substantial age or developmental differences between the children
Closer in age children are, more likely sexual activity will be viewed as non- problematic
However, some have found that age differences matter little in terms of harmful effects
Studies comparing victims of brother-sister sexual abuse and father-daughter incest conclude that harmful consequences are equally serious (Cyr, et al., 2002; McVeigh, 2003; Rudd & Herzberger, 1999; Shaw et al., 2000)
More advanced sexual behaviors
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

30. Sibling Sexual Abuse - Definitional Criteria (Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 1998; 2005)
Sexual behavior between siblings other than exploratory sex play between developmental equals
Sexual contact which is not transitory, and does not reflect age-appropriate curiosity
May or may not involve physical touching, coercion, or force
Noncontact sibling sexual abuse may include behavior intended to sexually stimulate victim or abusive sibling
Important criteria may be presence of power differentials
One of most consistent findings is that future adult relationships suffer negative effects because of prior coercive sexual contact between siblings
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

31. Sibling Abuse Trauma (1998)
Data from 73 adult survivors of sibling violence & sexual abuse
Developed psychosocial assessment measure, Sibling Abuse Interview (SAI), designed to evaluate systemic factors related to sibling abuse in dyads and families
Created six sibling abuse structural family diagrams which can be useful in making sense of context and guiding assessment & treatment
SAI and structural diagrams connected. If not able to immediately assess family organization upon referral, completing the SAI will often help determine which structure is operating in family
Early effort to integrate sibling physical and sexual aggression into a coherent understanding of inter-sibling violence from a systemic approach
Review handouts: Structural Diagrams
29 adult survivors of sib incest (39%)
26 survivors of sib assault (36%)
18 combined incest and assault (25%)
Review SAI in slide 26
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

32. Pseudo-parent Sibling Abuse Structure
F M
_____ ______ _____ ____ ______ S¹
… .… … … … …… …… .... …. …..
S² S³
___ ____ _____ _______ ____ = Rigid generational boundary
…. …. … …. ….. …… …… ……. … ….. …….. = Permeable boundary within generation
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

33. Pseudo-parent Sibling Abuse Structure
Assessment
Complete an intergenerational abuse assessment
Presence of parent/child coalitions
Assess quality of each parent’s relationship with younger children
Are parents able to delegate responsibility to oldest sibling, yet maintain appropriate control of limit setting in family?
Pseudo-parent sibling
Family demands lead to isolation from peers
Limit role re: discipline with younger siblings
Culturally diverse families
Assess degree to which child is involved in caretaking of parent as well as younger children
Determine whether the sibling incest or assault mimics parent-child abuse.
Look for presence of parent-child coalitions that exacerbate the sibling abuse.
Assess the quality of each parent’s relationship with the younger children. Determine whether the children feel supported and empowered by parents.
Determine whether the parents are able to delegate responsibility to the oldest sibling, yet maintain appropriate control of limit setting in the family.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

34. Sexually Reactive Sibling Sexual Abuse
Sexualized behavior that appears to be in direct response to previous sexual abuse
Assess for history of abuse as well as presence of pseudo-parent sibling (older brother/younger sister) formation
Prior victimisation linked with the age of onset of disclosed sexual offending behaviour
A number of studies suggest that siblings who are victims themselves begin offending at earlier age (Murphy et al., 2001; Righthand & Welch, 2001)
Always attempt to determine degree of coercion/force involved in sibling sexual abuse as responsible for some of most harmful long-term effects
57% report verbal coercion
35-40% report physical force
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

35. Peripheral – parent Sibling Abuse StructureM
_____ ______ _____ ____ ______(F
S¹ S² S³ F
_____ ______ _____ ____ ______(M
Determine whether the peripheral parent is abusive to spouse or children. If not, then…
Increase peripheral parent’s involvement in family, if possible. Determine whether the nonperipheral parent encourages his or her involvement.
Determine whether or not there is a child who metaphorically represents the peripheral parent in the family and how this affects his or her sibling relationships.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

36. Peripheral - parent Sibling Abuse Structure
Assessment
Determine whether peripheral parent is abusive to spouse or children. If not, increase involvement in family.
Determine whether or not non-peripheral parent encourages other parent’s involvement
Assess whether or not there is a child who metaphorically represents the peripheral parent in the family and how this effects his or her sibling relations
Prominent family organization in families with spouses in military, mental illness, substance use, DV, etc.
Peripheral fathers over-represented in families with sibling violence
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

37. Pseudo-consensual Sibling Abuse Structure
F M
_____ ______ _____ ____ ______
S¹ S² S³
Assess whether age-mate siblings look to each other (versus parents/caregivers) for validation, comfort, connection and support
Is the sibling relationship marked by confluence or by age-appropriate development?
Determine duration, frequency, and intensity of sexual activity. Rule out mutual sexual exploration based on developmentally appropriate curiosity
Assess for parental neglect
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

38. Pseudo-consensual Sibling Sexual Abuse
Initially based on “Nurturance-oriented incest” concept in early sibling literature (Bank & Kahn, 1982).
Diverges from earlier assessment that N-O isn’t ever based on coercion and does not lead to harmful effects.
Coercive aspects of sibling relationships may be covert and difficult to detect.
“Pseudo-consensual” indicates that while it does not appear to be based on coercion, threat, deceit…
Children are not truly able to provide consent
Usually one child is developmentally ahead and more of an initiator of incestuous interaction
Almost always suggests high levels of neglect, more serious family functioning deficits, than families where normal sib sexual exploration occurs.
Harmful effects of neglect well understood by now
Systemically, when children unable to get needs for attachment, nurturing met from adult caregivers may result in systemic pull to get needs met with each other
Sibs in these families typically <4 years apart or less
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

39. Sibling Abuse Assessment
Must include an evaluation of risk and protective factors present in family
Sibling Abuse Interview (SAI) developed to enhance evaluation and intervention
Explores history and current status of sibling relationships through a series of questions presented to each family member and relevant subsystems over series of meetings
Focuses most heavily on current and future contextual factors inside and outside the home
Area of inquiry are arranged in developmental sequence
Address effects of traumatic stress on individual, subsystem, and family functioning
Highlights sibling strengths in order to evaluate safety concerns and sources of individual and family resilience
Review SAI handout –
Helps ID areas for tx focus as it provides comprehensive amount of info re family beliefs, risk areas, etc.
Assess nature of family bonds prior to sib abuse, during, and post-abuse.
Use SAI to identify target areas (i.e, disciplinary practices, unclear sexual boundaries, parental favoritism, etc)
Info re a youth’s risk factors can be used to develop individualized tx and supervision plans
factors include the quality of the caregiver relationship; adult caregiver monitoring and supervision; presence of positive or negative role models and peers; discipline and limit-setting, and level of disciplinary consistency; child’s response to corrective actions; exposure to and protection from potentially traumatic situations; sexual and/or violent stimulation in child’s past and current environment; resilience factors or strengths that can be developed; and the social ecology of the extended family, neighborhood, school, and other influencing social environments
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

40. Sibling Abuse Interview
FIGURE 1: CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF THE SIBLING ABUSE INTERVIEW [SAI]
Adapted from Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro (1998)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Subsystem Representative Items
Sibling victim Do boys or girls have the most say in your family?
If you were to look at your family as being made up of two teams,
who would be on each team?
Pretend there is something that you and your sibling both really want,
and only one of you can have it. Who gets it, and how?
If your sibling is teasing you, or doing something to you that you don’t like,
will he or she stop when you ask him or her to?
When your brother or sister hits you, are you able to go and tell your parents?
Will they help you?
When a sibling shouts at you or teases you, do you believe that it is usually
because you have done something to deserve it?
___________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

41. Sibling Abuse Interview ….
____________________________________________________________________________________
Subsystem Items
Sexually abusive How do you know when people in your family are mad at you?
sibling How are you able to get your sibling to do things that you want him or her to do?
What is one of the worse days or experiences that you think your brother or sister
has ever had? How do you imagine that she or he felt about it?
Has anyone inside or outside of your family ever bothered you a lot, made you
feel scared, hit you, or hurt you in other ways? If so, who was it, ands how did
she or he hurt you? How did you feel about it ?
______________________________________________________________________________________
Non abused siblings If you and your brother or sister made the same mistake at home,
would you each get punished in the same way?
Does it usually seem that the punishment “fits the crime” in your family?
When your brother or sister is punished, does it usually seem that he or she
deserved it?
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

42. Sibling Abuse Interview …
____________________________________________________________________________________
Subsystem Items
Sibling subsystem What are some amusing, funny, interesting experiences that you have gone through
together that are unique to your relationship as siblings?
When you do a good job at something---such as in school, work around the house,
or things that your parents ask you to do---what does Dad usually do or say about that?
What does Mom usually do or say?
Tell me about some times when you have been fighting, and describe how each
of your parents have responded.
What are some rules or things your parents expect you to do or not do?
Which of these rules or expectations seem fair and which seem unfair?
______________________________________________________________________________________
Individual parent interviews In every family, members have different roles, such as the smart one, the athletic one,
the one who gets into trouble, etc. What roles did you and your siblings occupy in
your family of origin?
At times in every family, a parent feels closer to one child than another.
Which of your children do you currently feel more connected to?
Have you always felt closer to one child in particular?
Who do your children feel is the “favored” sibling in your family?
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

43. Sibling Abuse Interview
____________________________________________________________________________________
Subsystem Items
Parental subsystem How do you know when each of your children is angry, sad, afraid, happy, etc.
What does each of you do when you’re angry with the other?
How do you show affection for each other in front of your children?
Describe some of your children’s “roughhousing” behavior.
How do you disciple your children? What are differences between your styles
of discipline?
Which of your children generally “requires” more discipline?
How is he or she disciplined differently than the others?
Family interview Beginning with the adults, please tell me two or three things you really like about
each other
When one of you doesn’t want your brothers, sisters, or parents to use something
of yours, are you able to tell them?
If a family member started to say something that you wanted to keep private and
you asked him or her to stop, would he or she respect your wishes?
 *The complete Sibling Abuse Interview may be obtained directly from the author
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

44. Individual Risk Factors…
Siblings Who Sexually Abuse
Thinking errors
History of victimization
Inadequate impulse control, empathic deficits, social immaturity
Willingness to use coercion or force to control victim
Drug/alcohol use
Dissociative reactions to trauma
Say more here re dissociative reactions….
Remember, pathological dissociation not exclusively attributable to discrete traumas. Dysfunctional interpersonal relationships within family of origin can also contribute significantly to the symptoms developed in victims of prolonged childhood abuse
When parents are cold, distant, neglectful or inconsistent, child can develop an unstable sense of self, tenuous attachments, dissociative absorption, amnesia, and identity disintegration commonly associated with trauma
Many believe that any processing of traumatic material be preceded by a period of preparation and stabilization
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

45. Individual Risk Factors
Sibling Victims
Large developmental, physical, or intellectual differences between siblings
Victim’s dependence on an older, more powerful sibling
Lack of other supportive relationships
Prior history of victimization
Lack of sex education
More likely to be female
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

46. Systemic Risk Factors
Requires ecological assessments of family, school, economic, social, and environmental contributing factors
Parental unavailability or substandard parenting practices
Includes attachment difficulties where parents may be physically available but emotionally absent
Maltreatment or violence in the home
Sibling relationships characterized by power imbalances, gender role rigidity, and unclear boundaries
Heightened sexual or repressed family environment
Family secrets (adversarial v. collaborative)
Relationship between family and larger ecosystem factors (i.e., exposure to sexually explicit media, etc.)
Establishing the chronological order of factors potentially contributing to childhood sexual behavior problems is an important component to effectively addressing child-on-child sexual abuse.
Private: info known to 1 person that they prefer not to share. Does not affect the relationship (ie., pre-existing illness, etc)
Secret: info held by one person that directly affects relationship. Usually kept due to fear, anxiety, shame re disclosure
Adversarial secrecy
A family member maintains the secret of the abuse for personal gain.
Collaborative secrecy
family members unite to maintain the secret of the abuse to insulate both the individual and family from shame and embarrassment.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

47. Family-based Risk Assessment…
Combination of Risk & Resiliency Factors
Family’s reaction to disclosure
Response to outside systems
Family’s values (i.e., beliefs, ethics, spirituality)
Maternal support and empathy
Parental competence (i.e., mental health, education, stability)
Presence of supportive interactions with extended family, peers, & community
Sexually abusive sibling’s motivation to change
Family’s ability and motivation to protect victim(s)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

48. Family-based Risk Assessment
Parental support central in promoting better outcomes for child sexual abuse victims (Elliott & Carnes, 2001; Spaccarelli & Kim, 1995)
Multidimensional construct
Believing the child
Providing emotional support
Protective actions: contacting professionals or restricting contact between the suspect and child.
Circumstances of the sibling sexual abuse may complicate parents’ provision of support
Parental feelings might lead to divided loyalties when the abuser and victim are siblings.
According to one recent study (Walsh, Cross and Jones, 2011), parents significantly more likely to report higher blame and doubt when child was reported to have been sexually abused by an adolescent versus an adult
Parents of minority children have significantly higher levels of blame and doubt about their child’s sexual abuse (Sawyer & Smith, 2008)
More research is needed to help explore how blame and doubt is associated with race/ethnicity. May be associated with general mistrust of CW system; reflection of collectivist view that one indiv’s bad behavior reflects poorly on entire family.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

49. Characteristics of Siblings Who Sexually Abuse…
More often victims of child maltreatment prior to abuse event
Greater number of sex crimes
More serious sex offenses
More extensive contact with victims
Least likely to be adjudicated
From most problematic families
Higher rates of sexual, physical, substance use
Higher proportion of parents were also CSA victims
Serious social skill deficits
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

50. Characteristics of Siblings Who Sexually Abuse
Treaters generally divided into 2 non-overlapping camps
Victim and offender therapists
Viewing child as both victim and offender requires flexibility on part of clinician, social worker, law enforcement, etc.
Great deal of heterogeneity among child and adolescent sibling offenders
No single profile
Some require treatment weighed more heavily on offender side; some require a more victim focused treatment
However, children who are sexually abused and then become offenders are making a powerful statement that their victimization has not been processed or resolved
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

51. What Percentage of Siblings who Sexually Abuse are Victims?
Maltreatment Histories
Estimates range from 35-45% (CSA history)
Higher estimates (60-90%) of physical/psychological maltreatment childhood histories for male & female offenders
Females more likely to be victims of neglect, earlier age of onset, and to have witnessed sexual deviance (Schwartz et al., 2006)
Other Factors Associated with Sibling Sexual Abuse
Margolin (1995); Graham-Bermann et al., (1994); Silverman (1999) re Sibling Abuse and DV
Smith & Israel (1987) re Extramarital affairs & Sibling Sexual Abuse
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

52. Sibling Sexual Abuse Re-Offending Rates
Robust empirical evidence suggests that children with sexual behavior problems and juvenile sex offenders have relatively low future sex offending rates (2% to 15%) (Chaffin, 2008; Chaffin et al., 2008; Carpentier, Silovsky, & Chaffin, 2006).
Recent longitudinal studies suggest that childhood sexual behavioral problems and even juvenile sex offending does not significantly predispose one to engage in adult sex offenses (Carpentier et al., 2006; Zimring, Jennings, Piquero, & Hays, 2009)
Lack of continuity in sexual offending over the life course from adolescence to adulthood, calls into question current U.S. sex offender registration and notification laws as they apply to juvenile sex offenders
Findings may seem counterintuitive juxtaposed against adult sex offenders who report childhood onset of their sexual aggression
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

53. Sibling Sexual Abuse Re-0ffending Risk Factors
Sibling as well as stranger victims
Child as opposed to peer victim
Threats or weapons used
Prior sexual offenses
Male victims
Older age at intake
Prior nonsexual offenses (McCann & Lussier, 2008: )
McCann and Lussier, 2008:
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

54. Cultural Considerations and Assessment
Differing cultural expectations influence the developmental course of relationships between parents and children as well as siblings
Minority culture siblings tend to have more caregiving responsibilities than Caucasian siblings (Horwitz & Reinhard, 1995)
However, at equivalent levels of caregiving, Caucasian siblings feel the burden of care more strongly
Some cultures are more accepting of sibling aggression as a part of the sibling relationship
In these cultures, adult survivors typically maintain close ties with an abusive brother or sister (Bellak & Antell, 1974; Cunradi, Caetano, & Schafer, 2002; Harry, 1992).
Make note here re implication of cultural differences!
(Hispanic, African, German)
Because sibling violence is likely to involve multiple areas of functioning, assessment must be an ongoing aspect of treatment rather than a static process that precedes therapy
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

55. Family Therapy: Distinctions between Sibling & Parent-child Sexual Abuse
If Pseudoconsensual Sibling Sexual Abuse
Parental neglect must be addressed
Increased monitoring and parental supervision and involvement
Evaluate sibling attachments prior to separating children
Restructure family without inducing guilt or shame
Consistent with age of children involved
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

56. Family Therapy with Other Subtypes of Sibling Sexual Abuse
The more abuse mimics parent-child incest, more treatment should follow similar protocols
Abusing sibling may be removed and enrolled in offense- specific treatment
If not removed (fairly common), then 1st priority is victim safety
Hold family meetings excluding abusing sibling during this time
No conjoint sibling meetings until abusing sibling assumes full responsibility
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

57. Assess/Support Child Safety
Must assess parental capacity to protect even if they are not convinced that sibling abuse occurred
Explore FOO abuse-related history
Pay attention to function of denial in terms of sibling offender or victim family role
Find frame that coincides with a family concern (i.e, depression v. abuse case example)
Help family develop alternate supervision plan (ie., bring in extended family member, etc.)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

58. Placement Decisions – Key Principles
Intervention based simply on parental blame & punishment does not necessarily make children safer
Creating opportunities to improve families parenting capacity results in better outcomes than encouraging removal of children from their families
The threat of losing one’s children is not a sufficient motivator for change
Changes in family dynamics rather than simply cessation of abusive behavior crucial component of successful intervention
Even if child is separated from family, relationships are psychologically maintained and remain in child’s head
Death ends a life, but not a relationship…

59. Placement Decisions…
Safety v. Risk
Safety: imminent threats of serious harm present now and the protective capacities in the family cannot adequately manage existing threatening family conditions
Risk: Negative family conditions are present and interacting in a manner which leads a reasonable person to conclude that, without intervention, child maltreatment is likely to occur
Decision-making must always consider the interaction between threats of serious harm and protective capacities
Placement decisions should be made on basis of an active threat of serious harm & missing or insufficient protective capacities
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

60. Placement Decisions…
In 2009, 7% of California’s children were African American, but constituted 29% of the children under child welfare services jurisdiction and 33% of the children in supervised out-of-home care
African American children in California are more likely than White or Hispanic children to be placed in foster care
Also are more likely to be removed as infants, enter foster care at higher rates and remain there, receive fewer services, and reunify at lower rates than White children
Placement can have harmful effects
Children should be removed from their homes as a safety intervention only when safety cannot be assured in the home
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

61. Professional Collaboration & Crucial
Child Welfare Services involvement helpful to establish leverage for family therapy
Usually consists of voluntary services in U.S.
Clinical Case Management
Experienced family therapist (w/sibling sexual abuse knowledge) serves as primary therapist
Usually treats victim, family w/o offender at first
Family therapy should be initiated as quickly as possible
Coordinate treatment components for others as appropriate
Offense-specific individual and group treatment for abusing sibling
Should be coordinated with individual victim & family treatment
Due to the multi–problem nature of child maltreatment, a multi-disciplinary response is necessary
Less Adversarial Process includes:
Method for evaluating family protective capacities
Encouragement of team/group conferencing methods
Viewing the client as the family throughout the intervention process
Nature of CWS/client interaction evolves from engagement to rapport and then, partnership
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

62. Guidelines for Intervention…
Systems-oriented approach must have a blend of techniques that focus on both individual and family dynamics in order to be successful
One size does not fit all
Family meetings may need to be delayed until offender has accepted responsibility & the family can protect victim from further abuse
If therapy is not implemented within a systemic framework, treatment may fail or families may terminate prematurely
Rather a single FT approach, adopt interventions from pragmatic, problem-focused treatments with empirical support (i.e, structural, strategic, and CBT-oriented therapies)
Two interventions (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Treatment [CBT] and Adult Child Molester Therapy) received substantial empirical support and posed little risk to the client.
Neither PCIT nor TFCBT describe how a systemic formulation can guide the selection and application of specific treatment components. However, both can be implemented within a systemic framework.
(i.e, re divorced parents coming together over tx of child and then child sabotaging tx due to wish for reunification)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

63. Intervention Pay Attention to Coalitions Family v. Victim
“hidden” victims common
reframe victim’s behavior as act of courage
look for opening to establish alliance between victim & another family member/significant other
presence of even one significant attachment figure yields better outcome
Family and Child Welfare Services
may have to align w/family against CWS temporarily
must inform CWS of strategy & enlist their help
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

64. Working with Denial… Best Practices Mix patience with perseverance
With some parents, beginning tx with psychoeducation (family or group) helps
Clinician must be willing to address both abusive and victimization behavior with child offender
Some types of denial worse than others
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

65. Working with Denial Denial of Facts
Individual treatment usually indicated
Withhold family meetings until facts and accountability accepted
Negative consequences of change
Explore what might happen if they believed their child, etc. Challenge these consequences
Speak “as if” abuse has occurred
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

66. Importance of Psychoeducation
Parents/Caregivers
Differential treatment - common, and often necessary event in family life; however, fairness still important
Children’s lack of understanding in this area may precipitate more negative perceptions about their sibling relationship
Child's exposure to emotional abuse - provide education about the parameters of abusive experiences (causes, characteristics, and consequences)
Practical behavior management and relationship improvement skills -
how to give clear behavioral directions to children
acknowledge positive child behaviors
use specific labeled praise for desired behavior
use logical and natural consequences with older children
Different attributes of siblings— expressed in their diverse ages, sex, interests, needs, and behavior—make it appropriate that they be treated differently by parents at times
Brody, Stoneman, Smith, and Gibson (1999) and Volling, McElwain, and Miller (1999) presented evidence that children’s ability to regulate their emotions and their behavior is an important predictor of sibling relationship quality
Think:Kids – children with special needs (i.e, neurodevelopmental disorders ie., ADHD, LD, Spectrum DX).
Focus on the collaborative problem solving strategy known as “Plan B”
• Learn and become comfortable with the specific steps of Plan B (empathy, defining the problem, inviting their child to problem-solve), and recognize their own pathway challenges which can interfere with effective parenting.
Strengthening Families Program – many counties across country have programs (Communication, Conflict reso, Perspective taking, Discipline, etc)
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

67. Crucial Gains of Individual Family Members…
Sibling who was sexually abused
Able to discuss abuse
Does not blame self
Able to protect self or carry out protection plan
Sibling who abused
Accept responsibility for abuse
Able to control anger and/or violence
Develop empathy for victim
Desexualize family relationships
Understand meaning of the abuse
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

68. Crucial Gains of Individual Family Members
Restructure family organization
From abusive interactions to nurturing: increased parental competence
Demonstrate ability & willingness to protect children
Understand the meaning & function of sexual abuse to victim, abuser, and family system
It is important to understand how parents respond when both the abuser and victim are children because a significant minority of sexual abuse is committed by
youth. In 2004, 36% of all sex offenses against minors and known by police
were committed by juveniles (Finkelhor, Ormrod, & Chaffin, 2009). It is generally understood that parental support is central in promoting better outcomes for child sexual abuse victims (Elliott & Carnes, 2001; Spaccarelli & Kim, 1995); it has consistently been associated with improved child adjustment following
the disclosure of sexual abuse (Cohen & Mannarino, 2000; Feiring,
Parental support is a multidimensional construct
encompassing believing the child, providing emotional support, and taking
protective actions such as contacting professionals or restricting contact
between the suspect and child. However, the circumstances
of the sibling incest may complicate parents’ provision of support. Parental feelings might lead to divided loyalties when the perpetrator
and victim are siblings.
I also think it's important to understand the complexity of the trauma
response in the context of relational psychology. A child who is raped at
age 9 and feels able to talk with a parent who then is horrified and upset,
tries to soothe them, gets them good medical care, meets their emotional
need for validation and confirmation of the trauma, and then helps them to
heal is much less likely, IMO, to have a persistent dissociative response.
The child who comes home hurt, and meets a parent who sees them, slaps them
across the face as punishment for the event, tells them they are a whore,
disgusting and shameful, and turns and walks away, is much more typical,
historically for the patients I've seen over many years.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

69. Adult Survivors of Sibling Sexual Abuse – Research results (Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 1998)
Psychological maltreatment-- inherent or core element of sibling violence
Many of the sibling abuse survivors in our study suffered from multiple forms of victimization
“Teasing” may include ridiculing, insulting, threatening, terrorizing and belittling a sibling, or destroying a sibling’s personal property
More highly visible violent behavior between siblings often overshadows and threatens to minimize impact of psychological maltreatment
Evidence (Graham-Bermann & Cutler, 1992; Taillieu & Brownridge, in press) suggests that emotional abuse, which is more common than physical or sexual violence, leaves long lasting scars on victims
TV and media portray sibling interactions as if emotional abuse were acceptable (ie., Simpsons, South Park, Rosanne, etc.)
Provide example: Donnie—11 yr old burned down garage after argument with mother. Step-father family with younger brother, Jason. Mom compared Donnie to his deadbeat bio father In initial session Stepfather revealed that Donnie terrorized brother at night, suggesting that he would suffocate or stab him in his sleep if he tattled on him, Rarely hit brother but emotional abuse nonetheless had serious consequences for younger sib.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

70. Adult Survivors of Sibling Sexual Abuse – Research results (Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 1998; 2005)
Relational Effects
Emotional Cutoffs
Cicirelli (1982) –estimated < 6% siblings permanently cutoff from a brother or sister in lifetime
39% of our participants endorsed an “emotional cutoff” pattern with at least one adult sibling
Likely to repeat problematic cutoff pattern in marriages
More depressed and more likely to initiate divorce
Lower adaptability to stress and higher levels of anxiety
We were also early researchers interested in studying relational effects!
Subsequently, researchers have validate cutoff in more recent studies of sib incest.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

71. Adult Sibling Sexual Abuse Survivors – Research results Adult Survivors – Research Results (Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 1998; 2005)
Non – marriage rates
U.S. Census (2010) suggests about 75% of adults >25 yrs marry at least once in lifetime
Alpert (1991) reported about 48% of adult sibling incest survivors over 25 years old never marry (n=45)
Highest non-marriage rate among adult survivor groups
Rudd & Herzberger (1999) confirm low marriage rates for sibling sexual abuse survivors
Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro (2005) reported 64% never married (n=73)
Other studies (Rudd & Herzberger, 1999) confirm low marriage rates for sib incest survivors.
Studies including ours found it more common among sib incest survivors than p-c incest survivors. (Sib-like nature of peer relationship might be responsible).
Of course, unmarried should not be confused with lack of sexual activity. Sexual promiscuity one of the most intractable harmful after effects of sib incest.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

72. Prevention Recent Developments
Kramer (2004) developed a prevention/intervention program to teach selected social skills for establishing positive interactions with infant or toddler-age siblings
Constructs that fall under the umbrella of emotion regulation (Denham, 1986; Fabes et al., 1999; Rothbart, Ahadi & Hershey, 1994) and perspective - taking (Astington, 1993; Dunn, 1988; Howe & Ross, 1990) hold promise for sibling violence intervention
Goal is to help children learn to decenter and to view a situation from both their own and their sibling’s vantage point (i.e., Sibling comic strip)
Strongest predictor of the quality of the sibling relationship was the quality of the relationship that children had with their best friends prior to the birth of the sibling
Results suggest that, at least during the preschool years, the quality of the best friend relationship influences the character of the emerging sibling relationship.
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

73. Sibling Comic Strip
MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES APPARENT IMMEDIATELY. EXERCISE MAY ACCENTUATE CIRCULARITY OF SIB ABISE DYNAMICS, SLOWS DOWN PROCESS, EXPLORES DIFFERENCES
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

74. Implications for Practitioners
More needs to be done in terms of sibling abuse assessment and data collection
Child-on-child violence (>12 yrs.) not currently counted in U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Continued development of Sibling Abuse Assessment Measures
Greater integration of sibling violence & bullying research—both instances of peer violence
Evidence suggests sibling sexual abuse will not be disclosed unless it is mentioned specifically by researcher or practitioner
On the one hand, chiid-on-child violence not criminal (CA law states “mutual affray”)
On the other, children experience violence more frequently than most adults - public policy interest
RE: assessment - half, step, foster, adopted, s/b included as sib offenders
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.

75. Implications for Society
Sibling violence needs to be taken more seriously by schools and parents
May need to set clearer standards against such violence and earlier intervention to prevent recurrences
Parents encouraged to establish no hitting policies among children
Routine screening for child trauma in school settings
Underreporting by families is a significant concern in the context of high incidence rates in scientific literature
Criminal justice system traditionally reluctant to get involved in intrafamily matters unless violations are severe.
Recent research re corporal punishment relevant here
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved John V. Caffaro, Ph.D.