How siblings, raised in abusive or neglectful homes, are treated similarly or differently: An exploration by Northern social workers.

In situations of child abuse or neglect, it is beneficial to know how and why siblings may be treated differently. The thesis question was investigated using transcendental phenomenology. The participants were social workers in northern British Columbia, who worked for a minimum of two years in a position assessing risk to families. In this study, siblings who were treated differently by their abusive parents were male children who were physical and emotionally abused by a step-father. Two reasons given were because of the parent's upbringing, and the child's behavioural diagnoses. Further, siblings who are treated similarly in abusive homes were neglected by their mother. Neglect occurs because of mental health diagnoses and alcohol and substance misuse by the parent. The childhood experiences of the parent, including sibling relationships, and keeping Aboriginal children connected to their communities are also themes from this research. Solution-focused therapy was suggested as one treatment to be used by clinicians working with siblings who have been abused. Social workers working with families assessing risk may examine these results when working with abusive or neglectful families where children appear to be treated similarly or differently. --P. ii.