Sibling Abuse and Long Term Effects
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Authors
Overall, Heidi
Issue Date
1987
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
A pilot study was conducted to determine if there is a need for further research in the area of sibling abuse and its possible long-term effects. Ninety-two students from four basic social science classes at the City College of San Francisco were surveyed to determine the type and amount of physical, emotional, and sexual interaction while minors. The written survey included questions requesting information about present personality characteristics. From the data gathered, a statistical analysis was used to determine correlations between sibling abuse and current personality trends. A descriptive analysis was also included to further 1note any significant patterns between sibling abuse and long-term effects. In order to help clarify and verify the findings of the survey, interviews were conducted with three randomly selected volunteers from the survey group. The results of the survey in terms of the statistical and descriptive analyses support the hypothesis that sibling abuse has long-term effects on personality development. There was a high correlation between those abused by a sibling and feelings of anger, guilt, unhappiness, frustration, drug use, overeating, and a desire to hurt others. The information obtained from the interview further supported the hypothesis. Of the three interviewed, all made direct parallels to how they interacted with a sibling as a minor compared to how they currently interact with peers or in relationships as adults. As this study indicated, further research is warranted in the area of the long-term effects of sibling abuse. A larger population should be studied with greater controls for variables.