The Sibling Effect: How Today's Fights Shape Tomorrow's Adults (and What the Data Says You Can Do About It)

If you have more than one child, you are intimately familiar with the sound of sibling conflict. It is the background noise of many households. But what if that noise was more than just a daily annoyance? What if it was a predictor of your children’s future? Research has revealed a startling statistic: in early childhood, approximately 20% of all sibling interactions involve intense negative emotions. This rate is significantly higher than that observed in parent-child interactions during the same period. Sibling conflict is not just common; it is the most frequent and intense type of conflict that most children will experience. ...

November 1, 2025 · 5 min · 859 words · Ojakee Team