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Sibling Relationships (sibling + relationships)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Psychology	54%
Humanities and Social Sciences	45%

Selected Abstracts

Temperament and the Quality of Best Friendships: Effect of Same-Sex Sibling Relationships,

FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 3 2002
J. Kelly McCoy
The authors examined whether early adolescents' sibling relationships ameliorate the effects of a difficult temperament on best friendships, exploring whether qualities of early adolescents' sibling relationships would moderate the link between temperamental difficulties and best friendship quality. Data were collected at two points. At first collection, parents provided temperament ratings for 73 later-born siblings (M= 7 years). Five years later, adolescents provided information about support and discord present in their best friendships and older siblings provided information about the warmth and conflict in their same-sex sibling dyads. The hypothesized moderating effect of the sibling relationship was found only for early adolescent girls. Support and discord in girls' best friendships was negatively and positively predicted, respectively, by level of temperamental difficulty only when relationships with their older sisters were lower in warmth or higher in conflict. Implications for understanding and improving early adolescents' closest friendships are discussed. [source]

Sibling Relationships: Theory and Issues for Practice

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 1 2005
Julie Clark
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

The Essential Ingredients of Successful Sibling Relationships: An Emerging Framework for Advancing Theory and Practice

CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2010
Laurie Kramer
Abstract, Although conflict is a frequent and dynamic interpersonal process in children's sibling relationships, ambivalence (i.e., combinations of, or shifts between, positive and negative behaviors and affects) may better characterize normative sibling interactions. Nonetheless, there is a general assumption that reducing conflict is the most effective mechanism for improving sibling relationships. This review argues that the focus on conflict as the predominant attribute of sibling relationships is misplaced and has served to overshadow research on other relationship processes; it has also handicapped the development of effective prevention and intervention tools. Strategies are presented for moving theory, research, and practice toward the identification and development of factors and social processes that promote prosocial forms of sibling engagement and manage conflict. Innovative strategies are needed on two fronts: to help young siblings set their relationship on a positive trajectory and to help them avoid or remediate conflictual interactions. [source]

Sibling Relationships During the Transition to Adulthood

CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2010
Katherine Jewsbury Conger
Abstract, Recent research has shed new light on individual development during the early adulthood years, yet few investigators have examined sibling relationships during this stage of life. These relationships undergo transformations as individuals enter adult roles and orient their lives toward friends and romantic partners and establish independence from parents and siblings. This article examines major life events and role transitions, such as leaving home, completing school, obtaining employment, getting married, and having children, that influence individuals and their sibling relationships. In addition, it considers how sibling relationships may affect individuals during the transition to adulthood and calls attention to the importance of family and cultural contexts in shaping these relationships. The article concludes with suggestions for future research on sibling relationships during early adulthood and beyond. [source]

Harnessing the power of sibling relationships as a tool for optimizing social,emotional development

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 126 2009
Elizabeth A. Stormshak
Sibling relationships provide one of the most stable and powerful developmental contexts for the transmission of both prosocial and antisocial behavior. As a source of support and skill development, sibling relationships can build competence in self-regulation and emotional understanding. However, sibling relationships marked by antisocial behavior, substance use, and conflict place children at risk for a host of negative outcomes. Family relationship features, particularly parenting practices and discord, contribute strongly to both the quality of sibling relationships and children's well-being. Our review of intervention strategies reveals that the potential of sibling relationships to promote socioemotional development may be best realized through family-centered approaches that build prosocial sibling interactions, curtail child behavior problems, and strengthen parenting. [source]

Sibling relationships and best friendships in young adulthood: Warmth, conflict, and well-being

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2006
AURORA M. SHERMAN
Although much work addresses the importance of siblings and friendships in separate investigations, few studies simultaneously examine both relationships. Young adults (N= 102, M age = 18.7) were surveyed about their friendships, their sibling relationships, and their psychological well-being (assessed by self-esteem and loneliness). Participants with harmonious (high warmth, low conflict) sibling relations and same-gender friends had the highest well-being. Participants with affect-intense (high warmth, high conflict) sibling relationships had low well-being. However, participants who had low-involved (low warmth, low conflict) and affect-intense same-gender friendships did not differ in well-being. When examining joint effects, having a harmonious same-gender friendship compensated for having a low-involved sibling relationship, but having harmonious sibling relations did not compensate for having low-involved friendships. Overall, the results underscore the importance of positive and negative relationship properties and the joint effects of multiple relationships. [source]

Sibling relationships in adolescence: Learning and growing together

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 1 2005
Patricia Noller
In this article, I discuss the reasons for my interest in sibling relationships, and showcase studies on sibling relationships in adolescence carried out with my colleagues and students, in the context of the broader literature on sibling relationships. Our studies have focused on a number of important issues concerned with sibling relationships. First, I report on the associations between sibling relationships and other family relationships and the ways that the various family relationships affect each other. Second, I report a study of sibling relationships in the context of parental separation and divorce and show that sibling relationships in these families are more likely to be high in both warmth and hostility than is true for relationships in 2-parent families. Third, I report on several data sets showing an association between the quality of sibling relationships and adolescent adjustment and the link between differential parenting, adolescent adjustment, and the quality of the sibling relationship. Fourth, I report on a study of comparison and competition in sibling relationships and the associations between sibling relationship quality and reactions to being outperformed by a sibling. Finally, I discuss possible future directions for research on sibling relationships, including the importance of multimethod studies and a longitudinal perspective. [source]

Improving Emotion Regulation and Sibling Relationship Quality: The More Fun With Sisters and Brothers Program,

FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 5 2008
Denise E. Kennedy
Abstract: We examined the role of emotion regulation (ER) in improving sibling relationship quality (SRQ) by evaluating the More Fun With Sisters and Brothers Program where 4- to 8-year-old siblings from 95 families were taught emotional and social competencies. Parents reported on SRQ and ER, and sibling interactions were observed in homes. SRQ and ER improved for program participants (n = 55) in comparison to those in a wait list condition (n = 40). Children participating in the program needed less parental direction to control negative emotions and refrain from directing negative actions toward others following the program. Higher levels of ER were linked with more positive SRQ at posttest. Results highlight the value of strengthening children's emotion regulation processes as a mechanism for promoting prosocial sibling relationships. [source]

Temperament and the Quality of Best Friendships: Effect of Same-Sex Sibling Relationships,

Advice Given to Parents on Welcoming a Second Child: A Critical Review,

FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 1 2002
Laurie Kramer
A review of popular press books and articles for parents published between 1975 and 2000 was conducted to delineate the areas in which the advice given to parents about the transition to a second child is consistent with or diverges from the results of relevant research. Although popular advice reflects available research in certain areas (e.g., encouraging sibling caregiving), research to substantiate other directives (e.g., sibling preparation classes) is lacking. Key research findings about how to promote harmonious sibling relationships often are not represented in popular writings. These results highlight the need for researchers and popular press writers to acknowledge their complementary roles in disseminating information. [source]

Perceptions of constructive and destructive conflict within and across family subsystems

INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2003
Christina M. Rinaldi
Family members' (mothers, fathers, siblings) perceptions of the frequency and types of constructive and destructive conflict strategies used within and across the three family subsystems (marital, parent,child, sibling) were investigated. Participants included 60 fifth- and sixth-grade, middle-class white children, their closest-in-age sibling, and both parents. Each family member rated their perceptions of conflict resolution strategies employed in marital, parent,child, and sibling relationships. Overall, family members demonstrated agreement on the frequency and types of conflict within the three family subsystems and generally reported employing similar conflict tactics across different subsystems. Additionally, parent,child conflict strategies were partially linked to both constructive and destructive sibling and marital conflict. These results are best understood in light of both the shared family perspective view and the spillover hypothesis of family dynamics (Margolin et al., 1996; Minuchin, 1988). Implications for examining conflict strategies within and across subsystems are discussed within the context of recent theory on family functioning. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Observations of sibling interactions in violent families

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
Janice Waddell
This study examined sibling relationships of children from violent and non-violent families. Participants included 20 children (10 dyads) who were shelter residents and their mothers and 40 children (20 dyads) from the community and their mothers. Mothers reported on children's behavior problems, sibling conflict resolution strategies, and the quality of the sibling relationship. Children reported on the quality of their sibling relationships. Sibling interactions were observed during both cooperative and competitive tasks. Shelter children had more internalizing problems than comparison children did. Mothers reported that siblings from violent homes used less verbal and physical aggression than the comparison group. Siblings in the shelter group were supportive. There were no significant differences in observed conflictual behavior. The importance of the sibling relationship and implications for intervention are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]

Negotiating Inequality Among Adult Siblings: Two Case Studies

JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 2 2007
Ingrid Arnet Connidis
Qualitative instrumental case study analysis of adult siblings from 2 families explores how socioeconomic inequality among them affects their relationships to one another. Eight middle-aged siblings' observations of childhood, parental expectations, work and family history, lifestyle, and current sibling ties indicate that childhood interdependence, parallel parental treatment, similar intergenerational mobility, greater success of the younger rather than older siblings, and economic success due to other than individual effort facilitate smoother negotiations of material inequality and enhance the negotiation of sibling relationships as important sources of support. These new insights on negotiating sibling ties over time are related to various forms of capital, a life course perspective, and ambivalence, and point to fresh avenues for future research and theory. [source]

Harnessing the power of sibling relationships as a tool for optimizing social,emotional development

Sibling relationships and best friendships in young adulthood: Warmth, conflict, and well-being

Sibling relationships in adolescence: Learning and growing together

Equity and pragmatism in judgement-making about the placement of sibling groups

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 4 2006
Anne Hollows
ABSTRACT This paper considers the influences on professional judgements about large sibling group placement. The paper attempts to explain how social workers' awareness of the significance of sibling relationships operates in the process of making judgements and decisions about placement. It undertakes a detailed phenomenological analysis of the process in five cases involving large sibling groups. Drawing on philosophical theories of equity and pragmatism, it proposes a theoretical approach to addressing the issues in practice. [source]

Sibling Differentiation: Sibling and Parent Relationship Trajectories in Adolescence

CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2003
Mark E. Feinberg
Studied here were the links between sibling differences in trajectories of change in the qualities of parent,child relationships and the qualities of sibling relationships across a 2-year period in adolescence. Participants were first- and second-born siblings (M age=14.94 years for firstborns and M age=12.46 years for secondborns) from 185 predominantly White, working and middle-class families. In home interviews, siblings reported on their dyadic family relationships. For reports of parent,child warmth but not parent,child conflict, results were consistent with sibling differentiation theory: Increasing differences between siblings over time in parent,child warmth were linked to trajectories of increasing warmth and decreasing conflict in the sibling relationship as reported by firstborns, and increasing warmth in the sibling relationship as reported by secondborns. The findings support the view that sibling differentiation may be a strategy for managing sibling conflict and rivalry. [source]