The Study of Sibling Violence Among Foster Children

这项调查将收集260名非洲裔美国人和拉丁裔虐待兄弟姐妹的2份评估报告(第3-4次评估)，我们之前对这些兄弟姐妹进行了2次评估，时间间隔一年(第1-2次评估)，他们在研究开始时只有7岁。鉴于他们有确凿的过去遭受家庭暴力的历史，样本是实施兄弟姐妹暴力、心理问题和学校能力中断的高风险。通过与纽约市参与的儿童福利机构、亲生母亲和养母密切合作，我们保留了82%的兄弟姐妹，并完成了对复杂数据集的临床意义分析。初步研究表明，68%的人报告了中度到高度的兄弟姐妹冲突，41%的人表现出严重的行为问题，62%的人符合儿童精神障碍的标准。在随机回归分析中，兄弟姐妹冲突、养育温暖和较少拒绝照顾对增加 兄弟姐妹之间的问题。在这一独特的招募样本的基础上，拟议的研究目标是：(1)检验兄弟姐妹暴力的相关性，即过去的家庭受害(受到儿童忽视、虐待和/或亲密伴侣暴力的影响)、儿童精神障碍(特别是破坏性行为障碍)和安置变量(一起或分开；以及促进家庭不稳定)；(2)随着时间的推移，兄弟姐妹暴力对心理症状增加(增加的内化、外化)和学校能力中断的贡献；以及(3)评估随着时间的推移，在兄弟姐妹暴力与症状增加和学校能力中断之间的联系中，兄弟姐妹积极性、促进照顾质量以及差别化温暖和反应管理的调节作用。确定寄养社会生态中可改变的风险和保护因素是有效预防寄养儿童中的兄弟姐妹暴力的关键第一步。

This investigation will collect 2 assessments (waves 3-4)on 260 African-American and Latino maltreated siblings for whom we previously obtained 2 assessments one-year apart (waves 1-2) placed in foster care, and who were 7 years old when the study began. Given their substantiated histories of exposure to past familial violence, the sample is high risk for the perpetration of sibling violence, psychological problems, and disruptions in school competence. By working closely with participating child welfare agencies in NYC, biological and foster mothers, we retained 82% of the siblings and completed clinically meaningful analyses of a complex dataset. Preliminary studies indicate that 68% reported moderate to high sibling conflict, 41% showed elevated behavior problems, and 62% met criteria for a child mental disorder. In random regression analyses, sibling conflict, foster caregiving warmth, and less rejecting caregiving made an independent contribution to increased sibling problems. Building on this unique recruited sample, the proposed research objectives are: (1) to examine correlates of sibling violence, namely, past familial victimization (exposure to child neglect, abuse, and/or intimate partner violence), child mental disorder (particularly disruptive behavior disorders), and placement variables (together or apart; and foster home instability) over time; (2) to examine the contribution of sibling violence on increased psychological symptoms (increased internalizing, externalizing) and disruptions in school competence, over time; and (3) to evaluate the moderating role of sibling positivity, foster caregiving quality, and differential warmth and responsive management in the linkage between sibling violence and increased symptoms and disruptions in school competence, over time. The identification of modifiable risk and protective factors in the social ecology of foster care is a crucial first step in effective prevention of sibling violence in foster children.