Sibling violence and agonistic interactions among middle adolescents

Two hundred seventy-two high school juniors and seniors were surveyed regarding their experiences as victims and perpetrators of sibling violence and agonistic interactions with their closest-spaced siblings. Findings support earlier reports that siblings engage in a variety of violent acts directed toward one another and that there are few differences between males and females as to the extent of the behaviors. Subjects reported experiences of negative physical and verbal interactions less frequently than did younger subjects in previous studies, suggesting the need to further examine age-related differences in sibling violence. Discussion focuses on the implications of the present findings and direction for future studies in this area.