Exposure to Family Violence and Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: The Role of Sibling Abuse Among Adolescents

Abstract Early childhood exposure to family violence increases the risk of aggression, depressive symptoms, and substance use. However, the mediating role of sibling abuse underlying these associations remain understudied. Therefore, utilizing data from the Bullying, Sexual, and Dating Violence Trajectories From Early to Late Adolescence in the Midwestern United States, 2007–2013) dataset (n = 1,051), this study first tested the associations between exposure to family violence and sibling abuse. Then using structural equation model, this study tested the extent to which sibling abuse was a potential mechanism by which exposure to family violence was associated with aggression, depression, and substance use while controlling for gender and race. Consistent with the theory of intergenerational transmission of violence and social information processing models, results suggest that exposure to family violence was positively associated with sibling abuse that was, in turn, associated with aggression, depression, and substance use. Findings highlight the pernicious effects of exposure to family violence on the progression of problem behavior, which leads to internalizing and externalizing symptoms.