Skip to Main Content

Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology
2021. Vol. 10, no. 4, 147–156
doi:10.17759/jmfp.2021100414
ISSN: 2304-4977 (online)

Sibling relationships and their role in human life

2976

M.V. Bulygina

PDF (RUS)
Online translation in english
GS
Information
in Google Scholar

Abstract

The article presents the results of studies of sibling relations from different approaches. The articles included in this review concern the nature of relationships with brothers and sisters at different ages, its role in the development of aggressive and prosocial behavior, attitudes to oneself and one’s body, life satisfaction. Sibling relationships are analyzed in the context of the entire family system. It is noted that sibling relationships are involuntary, stable and characterized by a high degree of spontaneity. It is shown that the nature of communication with brothers and sisters is associated with the well-being of a person and the peculiarities of his/her adaptation in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

General Information

Keywords: brothers, sisters, siblingship, sibling relations, order of birth

Journal rubric: Social Psychology

Article type: review article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2021100414

Received: 30.06.2021

Accepted:

For citation: Bulygina M.V. Sibling relationships and their role in human life [Elektronnyi resurs]. Sovremennaia zarubezhnaia psikhologiia = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2021. Vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 147–156. DOI: 10.17759/jmfp.2021100414. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Bu F., Sulloway F.J. Birth Order and Parental Investment. In Weekes-Shackelford V., Shackelford T., Weekes-Shackelford V. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer. Cham, 2016, pp. 1–6. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3586-1
  2. Chen BB. Chinese Adolescents' Sibling Conflicts: Links with Maternal Involvement in Sibling Relationships and Coparenting. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2019. Vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 752–762. DOI:10.1111/jora.12413
  3. Davies P.T. et al. Children's Vulnerability to Interparental Conflict: The Protective Role of Sibling Relationship Quality. Child Development, 2019. Vol. 90: no. 6 pp. 2118–2134. DOI:10.1111/cdev.13078
  4. Damian, R.I., Roberts, B.W. The associations of birth order with personality and intelligence in a representative sample of U.S. high school students. Journal of Research in Personality, 2015. Vol. 58, pp. 96–105. DOI:10.1016/j.jrp.2015.05.005
  5. Tanskanen A.O. et al. Diluted Competition? Conflicts between Full- and Half-Siblings in Two Adult Generations. Frontiers in Sociology, 2016. Vol. 1, article ID 6. 11  p. DOI:10.3389/fsoc.2016.00006
  6. van Berkel S. et al. Don’t Touch: Developmental Trajectories of Toddlers’ Behavioral Regulation Related to Older Siblings’ Behaviors and Parental Discipline. Social Development, 2020. Vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 1031–150. DOI:10.1111/sode.12440
  7. Ingram K.M. et al. Family Violence, Sibling, and Peer Aggression During Adolescence: Associations with Behavioral Health Outcomes. Frontiers in psychiatry, 2020. Vol. 11, Article ID 26. 14  p. DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00026
  8. Foody M., Samara M., OˊHiggins Norman J. Bullying by siblings and peers: Poly‐setting victimization and the association with problem behaviours and depression. Educational Psychology, 2020. Vol. 90, no. S1, pp. 138–157. DOI:10.1111/bjep.12311
  9. Francka B. Lindell A.K., Campione-Barr N. The Relative Impacts of Sibling Relationships on Adolescent Body Perceptions. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 2019. Vol. 180, no. 2–3, pp. 130–143. DOI:10.1080/00221325.2019.1602024
  10. Greer, K.B., Campione-Barr N., Lindell A.K. Body Talk: Siblings’ Use of Positive and Negative Body Self-Disclosure and Associations with Sibling Relationship Quality and Body-Esteem. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2015. Vol. 44, pp. 1567–1579. DOI:10.1007/s10964-014-0180-1
  11. Hall E.D., Shebib S.J. Interdependent Siblings: Associations between Closest and Least Close Sibling Social Support and Sibling. Relationship Satisfaction, Communication Studies, 2020. Vol. 71, № 4, pp. 612–632. DOI:10.1080/10510974.2020.1749862
  12. Howe N., Rosciszewska J., Persram R. “I'm an ogre so I'm very hungry!” “I'm assistant ogre”: The Social Function of Sibling Imitation in Early Childhood. Infant and Child Development, 2017. Vol. 27, no. 1, article ID e2040. 17  p.  DOI:10.1002/icd.2040
  13. Jensen A., Whiteman S., Fingerman K. “Can’t Live with or Without Them:” Transitions and Young Adults’ Perceptions of Sibling Relationships. Journal of Family Psychology, 2018. Vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 385–395. DOI:10.1037/fam0000361
  14. Jensen, A.C., Nielson, M.K., Yorgason, J.B. The longest lasting relationship: Patterns of contact and well-being among mid to later life siblings. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2020. Vol. 75, no. 10, pp. 2240–2249. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbz083
  15. Lee, B., Padilla, J., McHale, S.M. Transmission of work ethic n African-American families and its links with adolescent adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2016. Vol. 45, pp. 2278–2291. DOI:10.1007/s10964-015-0391-0
  16. Lehmann J-Y K., Nuevo-Chiquero A., Vidal-Fernandez M. The Early Origins of Birth Order Differences in Children’s Outcomes and Parental [Elektronnyi resurs]. Behavior Human Resources Winter, 2018. Vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 123–156. URL: http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/53/1/123.refs (Accessed 11.11.2021).
  17. Lindell A.K., Campione-Barr N. Continuity and change in the amily system across the transition from adolescence to emerging adult-hood. Marriage & Family Review, 2016. Vol. 53, no. 4. pp. 388–416. DOI:10.1080/01494929.2016.1184212
  18. Lindell A.K., Campione-Barr, N., Greer, K.B. Associations between adolescent sibling conflict and relationship quality during the transition to college. Emerging Adulthood, 2014. Vol. 2, no. 2., pp. 79–91. DOI:10.1177/2167696813502778
  19. Lucas-Thompson R.G., George M.W. Are there individual and sibling differences in appraisals of interparental conflict? Journal of Family Psychology, 2017. Vol. 31, no. 7, pp. 933–938. DOI:10.1037/fam0000326
  20. Milevsky A. Sibling dynamics in adulthood: a qualitative analysis. Marriage & Family Review, 2020. Vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 91–108. DOI:10.1080/01494929.2019.1655127
  21. Hallers-Haalboom E.T. et al. Mothers’ and fathers’ sensitivity with their two children: A longitudinal study from infancy to early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 2017. Vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 860–872. DOI:10.1037/dev0000293
  22. Pike A., Oliver B.R. Child behavior and sibling relationship quality: A cross-lagged analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 2017. Vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 250–255. DOI:10.1037/fam0000248
  23. Portner, L.C., Riggs, S.A. Sibling Relationships in Emerging Adulthood: Associations with Parent–Child Relationship. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2015. Vol. 25, pp. 1755–1764. DOI:10.1007/s10826-015-0358-5
  24. Prime H., Plamondon A., Jenkins J. Birth order and preschool children's cooperative abilities: A within-family analysis. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 2017. Vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 392–405. DOI:10.1111/bjdp.12180
  25. Bernier A. et al. Reconsidering the links between sibship size, maternal sensitivity, and child attachment: A multidimensional interactive approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 2018. Vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 396–405. DOI:10.1037/fam0000387
  26. Morine K. et al. Relational Aggression in Preschool Students: An Exploration of the Variables of Sex, Age, and Siblings. Hindawi Publishing Corporation Child Development Research. Vol. 2011, article ID 931720, 6  p. DOI:10.1155/2011/931720
  27. Rohrer J.M., Egloff B., Schmukle S.C. Examining the effects of birth order on personality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2015. Vol. 112, pp. 14224–14229. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1506451112
  28. Rohrer J.M., Egloff B., Schmukle S.C. Probing birth-order effects on narrow traits using specification-curve analysis. Psychological Science, 2017. Vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 1821–1832. DOI:10.1177/0956797617723726
  29. Relva I.C. et al. Sibling Conflict and Parental Discipline: The Mediating Role of Family Communication in Portuguese Adolescents. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 2019. Vol. 36, pp. 295–304. DOI:10.1007/s10560-019-00600-3
  30. Steinbach A., Hank K. Full-, Half-, and Step-Sibling Relations in Young and Middle Adulthood. Journal of Family Issues, 2018. Vol. 39, no. 9, pp. 2639–2658, DOI:10.1177/0192513X18757829
  31. Sulloway F.J. Birth Order. In Runco M.A., Pritzker S.R. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Creativity. Second Edition. Boston: Elsevier,, 2011, pp. 149–158. DOI:10.1016/B978-0-12-375038-9.00030-3
  32. Tavassoli N., Recchia H., Ross H. Preschool Children’s Prosocial Responsiveness to Their Siblings’ Needs in Naturalistic Interactions: A Longitudinal Study. Early Education and Development, 2019. Vol. 30, no. 6. pp. 1–19. DOI:10.1080/10409289.2019.1599095
  33. Mark K. et al. The Maternal Emotional Climate Predicts Twin Sibling Relationship Quality. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 2017. Vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 150–160. DOI:10.1017/thg.2017.8
  34. Jenkins J. et al. The role of maternal factors in sibling relationship quality: A multilevel study of multiple dyads per family. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2012. Vol. 53, no. 6, pp. 622–629. DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02484.x
  35. White N., Hughes C. Why siblings matter: The role of brother and sister relationships in development and well-being. London: Routledge, 2017. 162 р. DOI:10.4324/9781315630489
  36. Wolke D, Tippett N, Dantchev S. Bullying in the family: sibling bullying. Lancet Psychiatry, 2015. Vol. 2, no. 10, pp. 917–929. DOI:10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00262-X
  37. Wu K., Kim J. H. J., Nagata D.K. Perception of Sibling Relationships and Birth Order Among Asian American and European American Emerging Adults. Journal of Family Issues, 2018. Vol. 39, no. 13, pp. 3641–3663. DOI:10.1177/0192513X18783465
  38. Yaremych H.E., Volling B.L. Sibling relationships and mothers’ and fathers’ emotion socialization practices: a within-family perspective. Early Child Development and Care, 2020. Vol. 190, no. 2, pp. 195–209. DOI:10.1080/03004430.2018.1461095

Information About the Authors

Maria V. Bulygina, PhD in Psychology, associate professor at the chair of child and family psychotherapy department of psychological counseling, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4459-0914, e-mail: buluginamv@mgppu.ru

Metrics

Views

Total: 4052
Previous month: 426
Current month: 234

Downloads

Total: 2976
Previous month: 87
Current month: 64