Project: Sibling violence from a professional perspective - managing and preventing an overlooked form of violence in close relationships
In this project we study social workers' and family therapists' perspectives on, and knowledge needs related to, sibling violence using so called research circles. Through these, practical and theoretical knowledge are combined and methods are jointly developed to draw attention to, and work with, the complex problem of sibling violence.
Project information
Project manager
Veronika Burcar Alm
Other project members
Anna Rypi, Socialhögskolan, Lund University
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University and Lund University
Financier
Swedish Crime Victim Authority
Timetable
1 January 2024 - 31 December 2026
Subject
Criminology, Sociology, and Social Work (Department of Criminology and Police Work, Faculty of Social Sciences)
More about the project
Sibling violence is a form of relational violence that has received little attention in Sweden. At the same time, this form of violence is serious, targeting children and adolescents, and often involves far-reaching consequences.
In a previous study, we explored the experiences of both those exposed to sibling violence and those working professionally, finding that both categories often lack the terminology to describe the victimization—and that the latter category often lacks the tools to recognize, manage, and prevent sibling violence. Therefore, in this study, we aim to investigate the perspectives and knowledge needs of social workers and family therapists regarding sibling violence. Using research circles as a method, we aim to develop approaches for working preventively and supportively with families where children and young people are subjected to sibling violence.
Through such research circles, we wish to combine practical experiences with knowledge from the research field and jointly develop methods to recognize and address the complex issues that sibling violence entails.
In this way, we hope to address a significant knowledge gap in Swedish research on relational violence. Some of the consequences of sibling violence are related to the invisibility that comes from the lack of terms to describe the experiences as victimization. More knowledge is needed to work effectively with families where children are subjected to violence by siblings.
The questions that form the basis of the study are:
- How do professionals define and categorize sibling violence? What does the normalization/problematisation of the phenomenon look like from their perspective?
- What are the knowledge needs within the professions and their fields regarding sibling violence?
- How can sibling violence be recognized, and worked with preventively and supportively based on existing methods?
- In which areas are additional complements needed to be able to recognize and work with sibling violence?
