Sibling trauma bond in foster care
Sibling relationships are among the most significant bonds that a person can have over the course of their lifetime. While this bond can have a positive impact on all areas of a child’s life (including social, cognitive, and emotional development), there are siblings who have a shared traumatic past, which can sometimes form a trauma bond.
Trauma bonding is the formation of an unhealthy bond between a person living with abuse or neglect and the person causing it.
Siblings who share a traumatic past can form a sibling trauma bond, which is emotionally complex and can be difficult to break.
Trauma bonding between siblings can have an impact on the sibling’s emotions, ability to think, physiology, learning, impulse control, self-image, concentration, and relationships with others, including their siblings and foster siblings.
These complex emotions can cause the child to act out rather than talk, causing unrest, arguments, and fights, even when they enter a safe and secure foster home.
But sibling bonds are so important for children in foster care. They can provide a sense of stability and familiarity, and the security in knowing that someone they have known and been with all their life is going through the same journey with them.
Sibling bonds come with a sense of connection and belonging that many foster children haven’t felt before, and these bonds can help children learn cooperation and develop better social skills. This is why fostering siblings and providing support for children in foster care is crucial.
At FCA, we’ll work with you to understand how trauma can affect the siblings and children in our care, and train you in our therapeutic foster care approach to help them come through the other side.
