Study: Children with Step-Siblings Are More Likely to Be Aggressive

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Children with step or half siblings are more likely to behave aggressively towards other children (over 30% of Latino children are in complex family situations), Latinos Health reports.

Researchers at the University of Michigan studied over 6,000 young children (under 5) and asked the biological mother of each child “about frequency of things such as temper tantrums, physical aggression, shows of anger, and destruction of personal property.”

The study concluded that when children live in complex family situations they tend to be 10% more aggressive towards other children than their peers who don’t’ live with half or step siblings.

“While this link does not establish causation, the findings add nuance to the prior scientific conversation on family and development, which focused on parental-union status, not siblings.”