This exploratory qualitative study examined how 28 adult Latine siblings (14 pairs, ages 18–36) made meaning of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), using a three-stage individual–dyad–individual interview sequence analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis.
Five themes emerged: (1) a gendered 'sibling shield'—coordinated protective roles enacted through movement, monitoring, and silent cues; (2) divergent, sensory-based memory shaped by trauma encoding and spatial position; (3) an unspoken mutual pact of silence that persisted into adulthood; (4) moral reframing of parents (often anchored to alcohol use) to preserve attachment; and (5) partial, deferred therapeutic disclosure driven by the same childhood coping patterns.
- Small purposive sample (n=28) dominated by sister–sister dyads (10/14 pairs); no brother–brother dyads, limiting generalizability of gendered findings. - Retrospective adult recall is shaped by time, emotional distance, and intervening life events. - IPV severity, frequency, and type were not systematically assessed, preventing examination of how these variables moderate sibling dynamics.
Clinicians working with Latine adults or children in IPV-affected households should routinely assess sibling dynamics—including who children turn to for safety, what protective routines exist, and what burden older siblings carry—as these bonds are often the primary source of co-regulation. Safety planning and trauma-informed interventions should incorporate sibling pairs rather than treating each child in isolation, and systems (shelter, child welfare, courts) should avoid separating siblings whenever safe and feasible.
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