Perceived Support in Sibling Relationships and Adolescent Adjustment

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Perceived Support in Sibling Relationships and
Adolescent Adjustment

• Susan Branje,
• Kees van Lieshout, Marcel van Aken, Gerbert
  Haselager

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Introduction

• Adolescents who perceive more support exhibit
  less internalizing and externalizing problem
  behaviors (e.g., Furman Holmbeck, 1995 Barrera
  et al., 1993)
• Mainly found for parental and friend support
• What is the role of sibling support and behavior
  in adolescents adjustment?

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Introduction

• More effects of older sibling on younger sibling
  than vice versa
• (e.g, Tucker et al, 1999 Slomkowski et al.
  2001)
• Modeling hypothesis
• Older siblings may serve as role models for
  younger siblings
• De-identification hypothesis
• Older siblings are more likely to de-identify
  from their younger sibling
• (Updegraff et al., 2000 McHale et al., 2001 )

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Introduction

• Sibling support over time
• Relation sibling support and behavior with
  adjustment
• -control for demographic characteristics and
  support parents and friend
• Longitudinal effects sibling support and behavior
  on adjustment
• -control for adjustment problems t1

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Hypotheses

• More support from older siblings than from
  younger siblings
• Older adolescents support towards their younger
  sibling will be associated with less behavioral
  problems of the younger sibling, but not vice
  versa
• The effect of older siblings will appear over
  time and after controlling for support from
  family and friends
• The effect of older siblings will be present
  mainly in same-sex sibling dyads

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Method

• Family and Personality Project
• 3 waves 1997, 1998, 1999
• 271 families
• 2 children, mean age 14.5 and 12.3 (wave 1)
• fathers and mothers, mean age 43.9 and 41.7
• Sibling dyads 64 boy-boy, 71 boy-girl, 66
  girl-boy, 72 girl-girl

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Method

• Perceived relational support from sibling
• 27 5-point Likert scale items
• Relational Support Inventory, Scholte et al.,
  2001
• Judgments by adolescents
• Problem behavior (Scholte, De Bruyn Vermulst)
• Internalizing problems anxiety and depression,
  withdrawal
• 9 5-point Likert scale items
• Externalizing problems aggression and
  delinquency
• 7 5-point Likert scale items
• Judgments by parents (average of father and
  mother) and self

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ResultsLatent Growth Curve Models
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ResultsLatent Growth Curve Models
LGCs were estimated in multi-age-groups
(younger child 11, 12 and gt12 older
child 15, 14 and lt14)
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Results

• Regression analyses standardized betas and R2

Note only significant betas are presented. P
lt.05 P lt.01
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Results

• Regression analyses standardized betas and R2

Note only significant betas are presented. P
lt.05 P lt.01
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Results
 

• Regression analyses standardized betas and R2

Note only significant betas are presented. P
lt.05 P lt.01
 
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Results
 

• Regression analyses standardized betas and R2

Note only significant betas are presented. P
lt.05 P lt.01
 
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Results

• sibling support related to self-reported
  externalizing and internalizing behavior
• after controlling for support from father,
  mother, and friend
• sibling problem behavior related to parent
  reported externalizing behavior and self- and
  parent reported internalizing behavior
• over time
• externalizing behavior only effects of older
  siblings support and behavior
• internalizing behavior only effects of older
  and younger siblings behavior reported by
  parents

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Conclusion

• Increase between 11 and 13 year of support
  perceived from older siblings
• From 13 years onwards, support from older
  siblings and younger siblings was stable
• Sibling support and behavior is related to
  adolescent functioning
• but depending on rater and type of problem
  behavior
• sibling support is negatively related to
  externalizing problems
• sibling problem behavior is stronger related to
  internalizing problems

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Conclusion

• No de-identification for older adolescents
• Adolescents relationships with both older
• and younger siblings are characterized by
• modeling or identification processes

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