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Sibling Set Configuration and Family Dysfunction
Author(s) -
FISHBEIN HAROLD D.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/j.1545-5300.1981.00311.x
Subject(s) - sibling , birth order , girl , psychology , developmental psychology , sibling relationship , nuclear family , demography , population , sociology , anthropology
The relationships between sex and birth order of the sibling set, number of parents in the primary family unit, and family dysfunction were assessed. The sample was restricted to two‐child and three‐child families, all of school age, and all living with one or both natural parents only, i.e., no one else was in the household. Chi‐square analyses indicated that the likelihood of a family seeking treatment for one of their children was lowest with all girl sibling sets, intermediate with all boy sibling sets and with sibling sets in which all the girls were older than all the boys, and highest with sibling sets in which at least one boy was older than one girl. The patterns were stronger for two‐parent than single‐parent families. The results were interpreted in terms of two factors: (a) the relative commitment of boys and girls to supporting family norms, and (b) the relative stability of a family culture in same gender versus mixed gender sibling sets.