Risk Factors: Sibling Sexual Abuse

What causes a child to become abusive? In this three-part series, I'll detail all the ways researchers have found that can increase the chances of sibling abuse. We need more research to fully understand the reason behind sibling abuse (I've stated earlier that sibling abuse has not been studied very much), but we have some data to start from. 

Here are some factors that can increase the risk of sibling sexual abuse:

• Children have been sexually abused or witnessed sexual abuse*
• Children have access to pornography
• Parents have not discussed sexuality and personal safety with their children

From what I've read and studied so far, some things about sibling sexual abuse have become very clear to me, and they are worthy of discussion.

Sexual abuse is probably the form of abuse that parents are the least likely to find out about. And even when they do, parents are frequently in denial. Children are easily dismissed. It is much easier for parents to believe that their child is making something up than to believe that what they're saying is true. 

In many families, even if parents did know that incest has occurred between children, the abuse is never discussed. The parents sweep it under the rug and act as if it never happened. This can be invalidating, hurtful, and re-traumatizing for many survivors of sibling sexual abuse.

Survivors of sexual abuse often feel a great deal of shame and self-blame for what happened to them. If this is you, believe me when I say to you: It was not your fault. No child is able to give consent. It is always the responsibility of the parents to ensure their children's safety.    

* Unlike research on adult offenders, a strong causal relationship has been established between child and adolescent offenders and these offenders' own prior victimization, by either adults or other children.