Studies suggest that when parents do not actively monitor their children’s behavior, it increases the likelihood for sibling aggression (Funk & Lavigne, 2006; McIntosh et al., 2008). Parents who do not provide adequate guidance in managing conflict between siblings or pay attention to what may be occurring between them open up an environment where physical or psychological harm can occur (Holden & Haehl, 2020). For example, if a parent fails to intervene in an escalating argument between two siblings who become increasingly aggressive with each other over time, they create a situation where physical altercations may occur without the necessary intervention from an adult. Furthermore, research suggests that those raised in households without active parental involvement tend to demonstrate more hostile behaviors towards their siblings than those raised by parents who provide consistent guidance (McIntosh et al., 2008).

Lack of parental supervision also contributes significantly towards situations which lead up to sibling abuse as it leads to poorer impulse control in children (Kramer et al., 2019) as well as decreased emotional regulation skills due to limited exposure to appropriate role models (Schiffrin et al., 2018). With inadequate oversight from adults within the home environment such as when both parents work all day or have unpredictable schedules due to extracurricular activities like sports practices etc., children are left unattended with little support on how best handle difficult emotions associated with disagreements within their own age group. Such unsupervised interactions give rise conditions which encourage poor decisions leading up abusive actions being taken against one another such as name-calling and teasing which can eventually lead into physically aggressive behaviors if allowed unchecked by adults (Holden & Haehl ,2020).

In conclusion, I believe that lack of parental supervision is one of the primary causes underlying sibling abuse because it provides opportunities for children lacking proper emotional regulation skills such as impulse control and appropriate conflict resolution tactics engage physically or psychologically harmful behaviors. Thusly, close monitoring from adults along with providing educational interventions directed at teaching effective communication strategies should be employed in order prevent any incidents involving mistreatment amongst siblings under any circumstance.

Works Cited:
Funk JB & Lavigne JV .2006 “Parental Influences on Sibling Aggression.” Developmental Psychology 42(3): 537-548 .
Holden GWR & Haehl AE .2020 “A Review of Childhood Sibling Abuse: Prevalence Rates across Studies” The Family Journal 28(2): 188-194 . Kramer KA et al .2019 “Impulse Control Deficits among Adolescents Exposed To Child Maltreatment” Child Abuse Neglect 88: 103531 . McIntosh SE et al .2008 “The Role Of Parenting On Sibling Relationships And Social Adjustment Among School Age Children” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 23(4): 497–511 Schiffrin HHN et al .2018 “Childhood Exposure To Interparental Conflict And Regulation Problems: An Examination Of Mediating Pathways From Infancy Through Middle Childhood” Development And Psychopathology 30(1): 215–229 .