Sibling Bullying Linked to Depression and Self-Harm in Teen Years

Most are aware that bullying can cause lasting harm on children. Yet did you know that the effects of sibling bullying could be even more drastic? Scientists have found that children who had been bullied by their brothers or sisters several times a week during early adolescence were twice as likely to report being clinically depressed as young adults and were also twice as likely to say they had self-harmed within the previous year.

"Forms of bullying where victims are shoved around the playground or targeted at work have been well documented, however, this study uncovers a largely hidden form of pulling," said Lucy Bowes, lead author of the new study, in a news release. "Victims of sibling bullying are offered little escape as sibling relationships endure throughout development."

In order to learn a bit more about the impacts of sibling bullying, the researchers examined children of women who were enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in the 1990s. Nearly 7,000 children of the age of 12 completed questionnaires about whether they had experienced any form of bullying and if so, how it happened. Then, the scientists followed up with the children at the age of 18 years.

So what did they find? It turns out that of the 786 children who had said they had been bullied by a sibling several times a week, clinical depression was reported by 12.3 percent, 14 percent had self-harmed in the previous year and 16 percent reported anxiety.  In addition, victims were more likely to be girls than boys and it was more common in families where there were three or more children.

"Social learning and how to behave with peers starts and home, and when siblings are bullied it can have serious long-term consequences as we found in our study," said Dieter Wolke, co-author of the new study. "It is important that parents set clear rules about what is allowed in conflicts and they should intervene consistently when their children maltreat each other repeatedly."

The findings are published in the journal Pediatrics.