Combination of Sibling Victimization and Parental Child Maltreatment on Mental Health Problems and Delinquency

• NCJ Number: 252913
• Journal: Child Maltreatment Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: 2018 Pages: 244-253
• Author(s): Sheila R. van Berkel; Corinna J. Tucker; David Finkelhor
• Date Published: January 2018
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2006-JW-BX-0003, 2009-JW-BX-0018
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined how the combination of sibling victimization and parental child maltreatment is related to mental health problems and delinquency in childhood and adolescence.

Abstract

Co-occurrence, additive associations, and interactive associations of sibling victimization and parental child maltreatment were investigated using a sample of 2,053 children aged 5-17 years old from the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. The results primarily provide evidence for additive associations and only suggest some co-occurrence and interactive associations of sibling victimization and child maltreatment. Evidence for co-occurrence was weak and, when controlling for the other type of maltreatment, only found for neglect. Sibling victimization was related to more mental health problems and delinquency over and above the effect of child abuse and neglect. Moderation by sibling victimization depended on child age and was only found for the relation between both types of child maltreatment by parents and delinquency. For mental health, no interactive associations were found. These results highlight the unique and combined associations between sibling victimization and parental child maltreatment on child development. (publisher abstract modified)