Childhood exposure to family violence and adult sibling relationships

Abstract

This study investigated how experiencing childhood family violence can affect aspects of adult sibling relationships. Background: Established evidence shows the long-term effects of childhood adversity on several domains of adult lives. Few studies, however, have examined the impact that childhood family violence exposure has on sibling relationships later in adulthood. To address this gap, this study examined the latent class structure of childhood exposure to family violence. We also investigated whether and how latent class membership predicted aspects of adult sibling relationships, including geographical proximity, contact frequency, perceived closeness, similarity in outlook, and support exchange. Method: Data for the study were obtained from 3921 adult participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Using the Bolck, Croon, and Hagenaars (BCH) approach of latent class analysis (LCA), we identified five latent classes (prevalence rate noted): No Exposure to Family Violence (75%), Exposed to Intersibling Violence (7%), Exposed to Overall Family Violence (4%), Exposed to Paternal and Interparental Violence (10%), and Exposed to Maternal and Interparental Violence (5%). Results: Childhood family violence was a significant predictor of adult sibling relationships. Specifically, we found that the Intersibling Violence, Overall Family Violence, and Paternal and Interparental Violence classes showed lower levels of perceived emotional closeness and similarity in values/outlook with their siblings than the No Exposure to Violence class. Conclusion: Findings suggest that childhood exposure to family violence may have long-term negative effects on the emotional aspect of sibling relationships in adulthood.

Longitudinal trajectories of adult sibling relationship quality and psychological well‐being: The effect of childhood maltreatment

“…Specifically, there was a significant difference at the initial assessment between those with a history of maltreatment and those without such a history. This finding is consistent with prior studies that have demonstrated the long reach of childhood maltreatment on relationships with families of origin (Kong, 2018a; Kong & Goldberg, 2022; Savla et al, 2013). It also supports the congruence hypothesis, which posits that dysfunctional parent–child relationships can influence the patterns and dynamics of sibling relationships (Derkman et al, 2011; Hank & Steinbach, 2018).…”

“…Relatedly, our main focus was on examining the lasting impact of childhood maltreatment without considering the exposure to other childhood adversities, such as sibling violence. Sibling abuse may occur in conflict-ridden families involving child maltreatment (Kong & Goldberg, 2022), suggesting the potential direct negative impact of sibling abuse victimization on adult sibling relationship quality. Although the analytic models are robust, we cannot rule out the potential bias associated with unmeasured confounders, such as adverse life events during adulthood.…”

“…The authors found that childhood maltreatment was associated with less emotional closeness with the perpetrating parent over about 2 decades of the study period, which was in turn associated with diminished psychological well‐being of older adults. A recent study (Kong & Goldberg, 2022) used a similar item to measure emotional closeness with siblings and found that conflict‐ridden family relationships in childhood were associated with reduced emotional closeness with siblings in late adulthood. The key takeaway from these studies is that it is crucial to consider the historical context of family experiences, such as childhood maltreatment, to better understand older adults' sibling relationships (Brubaker, 1990; Whitbeck et al, 2001).…”

“…This is an important research gap in the literature given the significance and benefits of quality sibling relationships in late adulthood. We particularly focused on the emotional quality of sibling relationships because prior studies have consistently shown that childhood maltreatment can diminish the emotional closeness with family members of origin, which has implications for older adults' mental health (Kong, 2018a; Kong & Goldberg, 2022; Kong & Martire, 2019). Furthermore, most prior studies on this topic have used cross‐sectional data, and thus rigorous evidence from longitudinal analyses offers an important contribution.…”

“…childhood abuse and neglect, latent growth curve modeling, mental health, older adults, perceived closeness with siblings A small number of emerging studies have demonstrated that childhood maltreatment may have lasting adverse effects on later-life relationships with family members of origin (Kong et al, 2021). Older adults who experienced parental childhood maltreatment reported less frequent contact and weaker feelings of closeness with their aging parents (Kong, 2018a; and lower feelings of closeness and similarity with their siblings (Kong & Goldberg, 2022). These adults also showed heightened psychological distress when providing care to their previously abusive and neglectful parents (Kong, 2018b;Kong & Moorman, 2015;Kong et al, 2021).…”