Premium
Are sibling relationships protective? A longitudinal study
Author(s) -
Gass Krista,
Jenkins Jennifer,
Dunn Judy
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01699.x
Subject(s) - sibling , psychology , affection , sibling relationship , developmental psychology , psychopathology , intervention (counseling) , longitudinal study , quality of life (healthcare) , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , pathology , psychotherapist
Background: Although the protective effects of familial and parental support have been studied extensively in the child psychopathology literature, few studies have explored the protective quality of positive sibling relationships. Methods: A two‐wave longitudinal design was used to examine the protective effect of positive sibling relationships on child adjustment for children experiencing stressful life events. Mothers reported on stressful life events and child adjustment. Older siblings assessed the quality of relationship between themselves and target children. Results: Sibling affection moderated the relationship between stressful life events and internalizing symptomatology but not the relationship between stressful life events and externalizing symptomatology. Notably, the protective effect of sibling affection was evident regardless of mother–child relationship quality. Conclusions: Positive sibling relationships are an important source of support for children experiencing stressful life events. Implications for intervention are discussed.