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My Brother’s Keeper: A Contemporary Examination of Reported Sibling Violence Using National Level Data, 2000–2005

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Abstract

Identified as a social problem in 1980, sibling violence has been labeled the most common and least researched form of family violence in the United States (Eriksen and Jensen 2006, 2008). Extant research has limitations including definitional inconsistencies, overreliance on small retrospective clinical samples, and limited use of officially reported national level data for profiles of victims and offenders. Although often trivialized as a “normal” part of growing up, sibling violence has links to an array of complications manifesting later in life including physical and emotional disorders, school bullying, substance abuse, and domestic violence. This work draws on 6 years of National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data (2000–2005) (n = 33,066) to provide the most comprehensive source of baseline information on this understudied form of intrafamilial violence. The research explores demographic and incident characteristics extending the knowledge beyond typical victim descriptives to incorporate offender profiles and incident level information including the type of violence/victimization, substance use, weapon use, and degree of injury sustained. Findings, in part, suggest several gender based victim and offender differences with female siblings involved in more serious injury incidents than their male sibling counterparts.

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Notes

  1. The states and subsequently counties participating in NIBRS data reporting have increased over the study period from nine states comprising 481 counties (4% of the population) in 1995 to 27 states and D.C. comprising 5617 agencies in 2005. The increasing annual participation by states and counties in the NIBRS reporting program makes longitudinal analyses including pattern and trend analyses extremely difficult at present time. The present work uses the NIBRS data in the aggregate and is therefore less impacted by annual changes in participation.

  2. Aggravated assaults are defined as: “An unlawful attack by one person upon another wherein the offender uses a weapon or displays it in a threatening manner, or the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness” (Federal Bureau of Investigation 1992, p. 79).

  3. Simple assault is defined as: “An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness” (Federal Bureau of Investigation 1992, p. 12).

  4. Intimidation is defined as unlawfully placing “another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack” (Federal Bureau of Investigation 1992, p. 12).

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Correspondence to Jeffrey A. Walsh.

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The opinions expressed herein are solely the authors’ and do not reflect the opinions or official position of any other individuals or organizations. An earlier version of this work was presented at the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association annual conference in Chicago, IL.

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Krienert, J.L., Walsh, J.A. My Brother’s Keeper: A Contemporary Examination of Reported Sibling Violence Using National Level Data, 2000–2005. J Fam Viol 26, 331–342 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-011-9367-3

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