Sibling spats are no fun. Source: Shutterstock

I remember thinking that as time went by, maybe my still feeling crummy was just me overreacting. However, a new study seems to show that those fights we have with our siblings can have lasting negative effects on us — even a year later.

The study was conducted by a research team at the University Missouri, and they followed 145 pairs of adolescent siblings. Depending on the type of fight these duos had, the researchers found connections to varying types of negative consequences twelve months later.

Fights between the sibling pairs related to “violations of personal space and property” showed a connection to both a decrease in the individuals’ self-esteem and higher levels of anxiety. And those fights regarding “issues of equality and fairness?” Well, the researchers found a connection with more depression. It seems that the “last word” really doesn’t seem to be the last of these fights.

I’ll say that for me, fights with my brothers have always stung the most — often more than those with my friends, my boyfriend, even my parents. I think because my siblings were the ones who could relate most to what it was like to grow up in my same environment, I wanted us to be a really awesome team. When we disagreed on something, it just felt really personal. Plus, a fight happening where you live and can’t really distance yourself from is an added layer of rough.

The researchers of the original study have a couple suggestions for parents about how to keep sibling bickering at bay, and while I certainly can’t claim to be an expert on sibling relationships, there are a couple things that over the years I’ve tried to do to keep the sibling peace at least in my household.

I try to direct family conversation toward topics that can include all us kids, rather than just focusing on one person’s achievements in school or sports (I totally used to tally up how often we’d talk about my brothers’ games at dinner…). I also try to never assume what my brothers’ plans are. Too many times I’ve figured they didn’t need to use our shared car, only to have a blowout later when it turns out we all made separate plans.

Believe me, we still fight. I mean, it happens. But knowing how long-lasting those fights can be, I think it’s important to make sure like with any relationship, you’re taking the time to really respect the other person. Especially with this information that your sibling spats can leave you still feeling not-so-great even a while after, maybe trying to keep the peace between you and the sibs would be a good resolution for the new year that could keep all of you feeling healthier and happier.

Do you fight with your siblings? What are the things you most often fight about? Do you have any advice to share about getting along with your siblings? Tell us in the comments!

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