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The Discourse of Sibling Violence

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An Erratum to this article was published on 16 August 2007

An Erratum to this article was published on 16 August 2007

An Erratum to this article was published on 16 August 2007

Abstract

The present study sought to identify the discourses that exist with regard to physical violence among siblings. The sample consisted of 200 college students (60.5% female, 39.5% male) who completed a revised version of the Conflict Tactics Scales and a self-labeling measure of sibling violence. Findings indicated that while the vast majority of the sample had experienced sibling violence, they utilized terminology in a manner that failed to recognize their experiences as a form of violence. When the data were classified according to gender and level of violence within the sibling relationship, quantitative analysis indicated a difference in terminology. In an attempt to interpret these results from the theoretical perspective of discourse as an aspect of social constructivism it was postulated that the study identified both a dominant discourse that renders physical violence among siblings invisible and several subordinate discourses by which individuals reflect their varying characteristics. It was suggested that future research utilize qualitative analysis to clarify and expand upon this interpretation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Drs. Catherine Stogner and Gloria Hamilton for their valuable input and insights during the course of this research project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Sciences, Middle Tennessee State University, Box 86, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132, USA

    Heather Hensman Kettrey & Beth C. Emery

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  1. Heather Hensman Kettrey
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  2. Beth C. Emery
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Correspondence to Beth C. Emery.

Additional information

This article is based on a master’s thesis conducted by Heather Hensman Kettrey.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9089-8

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Kettrey, H.H., Emery, B.C. The Discourse of Sibling Violence. J Fam Viol 21, 407–416 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-006-9036-0

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