Sibling Bullying Just As DAngerous As Aggression amongst Peers; New Hot Topic Has Psychologists Scrambling![VIDEO]

Bullying is a hot topic in the media yet it is solely focused on classmates, not on siblings. A new study finds sibling bullying is just as detrimental as being terrorized by peers at school.

The extensive sibling bullying study extracted new information about how many children are bullied by a sibling and how profound the bullying is on the child.

Sibling aggression causes mental distress, which can lead to anger, depression and anxiety in the child who is being targeted, the new study finds.

Children who were even mildly physically assaulted by a sibling had greater than adolescents who were not assaulted.

The researchers found in the new study that 32 percent of the children and adolescents had experienced one type of sibling aggression during the previous year.

"There is a natural emotional intensity to sibling relationships," said lead author Corinna Jenkins Tucker, an associate professor of family studies at the University of New Hampshire. "There is a lot of love, but also the potential for a lot of conflicts."

It's "under-recognized and under-estimated," she said. "Our work is showing that in some cases, the mental distress associated with sibling aggression is similar to what we see with peer aggression. It is something to be taken seriously." 

According to Tucker, when parents notice bullying, they should step in. "It is an opportunity for parents to act as a mediator, and teach constructive conflict skills," she said.

Parenting programs, Tucker added, should include discussions about sibling bullying as well. "There is a big push now to stop aggression, particularly between peers, and we are suggesting that these programs include a focus on siblings," she said.

Sibling aggression causes mental distress, which can lead to anger, depression and anxiety in the child who is being targeted.

Children who were even mildly physically assaulted by a sibling had greater mental distressthan adolescents who were not assaulted.

Because sibling bullying is a new topic, there are no answers yet out how to prevent it. But researchers and psychologists will have a whole new subject to tackle once these findings spread through the US.