Sibling sexual abuse (SSA) can have a significant impact on human development and counselors play an important role in identifying, advocating for, and supporting youth who have been sexually abused. In this article, considerations for counselors working with youth who have experienced SSA are discussed. The impacts of SSA on youth development, and challenges that counselors face when working with those affected by SSA are addressed. Counseling interventions that may be useful when counseling those who have experienced SSA are also provided, along with suggestions for future research.
AllenB.HoskowitzN. A. (2017). Structured trauma-focused CBT and unstructured play/experiential techniques in the treatment of sexually abused children: A field study with practicing clinicians. Child Maltreatment, 22(2), 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559516681866
2.
AtwoodJ. D. (2007). When love hurts: Preadolescent girls’ reports of incest. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 35(4), 287–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926180701389644
3.
BallantineB. M. W. (2012). Sibling incest dynamics: Therapeutic themes and clinical challenges. Clinical Social Work Journal, 40, 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-033108
4.
BerteleN.TalmonA. (2021). Sibling sexual abuse: A review of empirical studies in the field. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 420–428. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211030244.
5.
CaffaroJ. V. (2014). Sibling abuse trauma (2nd ed.). Routledge.
6.
CaffaroJ. (2017). Treating adult survivors of sibling sexual abuse: A relational strengths-based approach. Journal of Family Violence, 32(5), 543–552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9877-0
7.
CaffaroJ. (2020). Sibling abuse of other children. In RosenbaumA.WhiteJ. W.HambergerL. K.GeffnerR.ViethV. I.Vaughan-EdenV. (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal violence and abuse across the lifespan: A project of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence across the Lifespan (NPEIV) (pp. 1295–1322). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_11
8.
CaffaroJ.Conn-CaffaroA. (2006). Sibling abuse trauma: Assessment and intervention strategies for children, families and adults. The Hawthorn Maltreatment and Trauma Press.
CohenJ. A.MannarinoA. P. (2008). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and parents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 13(4), 158–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3588.2008.00502.x
12.
CourtoisC. A. (2010). Healing the incest wound: Adult survivors in therapy (2nd ed.). Norton.
13.
DiGiorgio-MillerJ. (1998). Sibling incest: Treatment of the family and the offender. Child Welfare, 77(3), 335–346.
14.
FinkelhorD. (1980). Sex among siblings: A survey on prevalence, variety and effects. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 9(3), 171–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01542244
15.
HardyM. S. (2001). Physical aggression and sexual behaviour among siblings: A retrospective study. Journal of Family Violence, 16(3), 255–268. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011186215874
16.
HeimanM. L. (1988). Untangling incestuous bonds: The treatment of sibling incest. In KahnM.LewisK. (Eds.), Siblings in therapy: Life span and clinical issues (pp. 135–166). Norton.
17.
Kassam-AdamsN. (2014). Design, delivery, and evaluation of early interventions for children exposed to acute trauma. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5, 1. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v5.22757
18.
KatzC.HamamaL. (2015). From my own brother, in my own home: Children’s experiences and perceptions following alleged sibling incest. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(23), 3648–3668. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515600876
19.
KeaneM.GuestA.PadburyJ. (2013). A balancing act: A family perspective to sibling sexual abuse. Child Abuse Review, 22, 246–2013. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2284
KoS. J.FordJ. D.Kassam-AdamsN.BerkowitzS. J.WilsonC.WongM.BrymerM. J.LayneC. M. (2008). Creating trauma-informed systems: Child welfare, education, first responders, health care, juvenile justice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39(4), 396–404. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.39.4.396
23.
KressV. E.PayloM. J. (2019). Treating those with mental disorders: A comprehensive approach to case conceptualization and treatment (2nd ed.). Pearson.
24.
KrienertJ. L.WalshJ. A. (2011). Sibling sexual abuse: An empirical analysis of offender, victim, and event characteristics in National Incident-based Reporting System (NIBRS) data, 2000–2007. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders, 20(4), 353–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2011.588190
25.
MallinckrodtB. (2010). The psychotherapy relationship as attachment: Evidence and implications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27(2), 262–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407509360905
26.
McCoyK.SonnenE.MiiA. E.HuitZ. T.MeidlingerK.CoffeyH. M.MayG.FloodM. F.HansenD. J. (2022). Helping families following sibling sexual abuse: Opportunities to enhance research and policy responses by addressing practical challenges. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 65(7), 101652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2021.101652
27.
MonahanK. (2010). Themes of adult sibling sexual abuse in later life: An initial exploration. Clinical Social Work Journal, 38, 361–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-010-0286-1
28.
MorrillM. (2014). Sibling sexual abuse: An exploratory study of long-term consequences for self-esteem and counseling considerations. Journal of Family Violence, 29(2), 205–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9571-4
29.
NCANDS. (2011). Child maltreatment 2011. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children’s Bureau. https://nationaldec.org/wp-content/uploads/173-Article.pdf
30.
PorcheM. V.CostelloD. M.Rosen-ReynosoM. (2016). Adverse family experiences, child mental health, and educational outcomes for a national sample of students. School Mental Health, 8(1), 44–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9174-3
31.
RelvaI. C.FernandesO. M.AlarcaoM. (2017). Dyadic types of sibling sexual coercion. Journal of Family Violence, 32(6), 577–583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-017-9918-3
32.
RuenessJ.MyhreM. C.StrømI. F.Wentzel-LarsenT.DybG.ThoresenS. (2019). The mediating role of posttraumatic stress reactions in the relationship between child abuse and physical health complaints in adolescence and young adulthood. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1608719. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1608719
33.
SackettC. R.LawsonG. (2015). The working alliance and experiences of clients and counselors-in-training. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 54(2), 104–121. https://doi.org/10.1002/johc.12006
Self-BrownS.TiwariA.LaiB.RobyS.KinnishK. (2016). Impact of caregiver factors on youth service utilization of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in a community setting. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 25(6), 1871–1879. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0354-9
36.
ShapiroF. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford.
37.
ShieldsJ. D.CoserA.BeasleyL. O.SilovskyJ. F. (2020). A qualitative examination of factors impacting family engagement in treatment for youth with problematic sexual behavior. Children and Youth Services Review, 108, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104597
38.
SpanoR. (2018). We are family: Specifying the unique contribution of abuse and neglect of siblings on the prevalence, severity, and chronicity of maltreatment in the household. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(15), 2420–2438. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515625908
39.
StroebelS. S.O’KeefeS. L.BeardK. W.KuoS. Y.SwindellS.StroupeW. (2013). Brother–sister incest: Data from anonymous computer-assisted self interviews. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 22(3), 255–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2013.743952
40.
TavkarP.HansenD. J. (2011). Interventions for families victimized by child sexual abuse: Clinical issues and approaches for child advocacy center-based services. Aggression & Violent Behavior, 16(3), 188–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2011.02.005
41.
TenerD. (2019). “I love and hate him in the same breath”: Relationships of adult survivors of sexual abuse with their perpetrating siblings. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(13-14), NP6844–NP6866. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518821462
42.
TenerD.KatzC.KaufmannY. (2021). “And I let it all out”: Survivors’ sibling sexual abuse disclosures. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(23-24), 11140–11164. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519897326
43.
TenerD.LuskyE.TarshishN.TurjemanS. (2018). Parental attitudes following disclosure of sibling sexual abuse: A child advocacy center intervention study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(6), 661–669. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000311
44.
TenerD.SilbersteinM. (2019). Therapeutic interventions with child survivors of sibling sexual abuse: The professionals’ perspective. Child Abuse & Neglect, 89, 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.01.010
45.
TenerD.TarshishN.TurgemanS. (2020). “Victim perpetrator, or just my brother?” Sibling sexual abuse in large families: A child advocacy center study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(21-22), 4887–4912. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517718831
46.
TichelaarH. K.DekovicM.EndendijkJ. J. (2020). Exploring effectiveness of psychotherapy options for sexually abused children and adolescents: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105519
47.
ToporekR. L.DanielsJ. (2018). American counseling association advocacy competencies (Original version by Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek endorsed by ACA in 2003; current version updated in 2018). American Counseling Association. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/competencies
48.
WachtelP. L. (2011). Therapeutic communication: Knowing what to say when. Guilford.
49.
WelfareA. (2008). How qualitative research can inform clinical interventions in families recovering from sibling sexual abuse. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 29(3), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1375/anft.29.3.139
50.
WorlingJ.LangtonC. (2012). Assessment and treatment of adolescents who sexually offend: Clinical issues and implications for secure settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(6), 814–841. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854812439378
51.
YatesP. (2017). Sibling sexual abuse: Why don't we talk about it?Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(15-16), 2482–2494. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13531
52.
YatesP. (2020). “It’s just the abuse that needs to stop”: Professional framing of sibling relationships in a grounded theory study of a social worker decision making following sibling sexual behavior. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 29, 222–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2019.1692399
53.
YatesP.AllardyceS. (2018). Working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour. Dunedin Academic Press.
54.
YatesP.AllardyceS. (2021). Sibling sexual abuse: A knowledge and practice overview. Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.
55.
YatesP.AllardyceS. (2022). Abuse at the heart of the family: The challenges and complexities of sibling sexual abuse. In UziebloK.SmidW. J.McCartanK. (Eds.), Challenges in the management of people convicted of sexual offence: A way forward (pp. 51–64). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80212-7_4
56.
Young-BruehlE. (2012). Childism: Confronting prejudice against children. Yale University Press.
