Suchergebnisse

AbstractAn important task for emerging adults is the effective maintenance of sibling relationships given their importance for well‐being later in adulthood. However, little is currently known about how siblings maintain communication with one another during this developmental stage when they often live apart for the first time, or about whether different communication patterns have unique relational implications. Using a sample of first‐year college students (n = 250), the present study identified four distinct groups of emerging adults who used information and communication technologies differently in communicating with their siblings. Emerging adults who frequently used synchronous communication methods (as opposed to more passive methods) generally had more positive and self‐disclosive relationships with their siblings about a variety of topics, although there were important gender and birth order differences. Implications for college administrators and mental health professionals are discussed.

Family researchers have acknowledged the importance of sibling relationships across the life span, but little is known about how this relationship functions during the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. The present study therefore examined how two domains of adolescent sibling conflict (equality and fairness issues and personal domain invasions) are related to sibling relationship quality after firstborns leave home to attend college, from the perspectives of firstborn and secondborn siblings from the same families. Our findings suggest that frequent or intense sibling conflicts during adolescence may be related to more positive and less negative sibling relationships the first year after older siblings leave home, and that conflicts surrounding issues of equality and fairness may facilitate more egalitarian relationships during emerging adulthood for some siblings. It therefore seems that the sibling relationship during the adolescent years may have important implications for its long-term functioning into adulthood.

AbstractFour types of sibling conflict were identified in actual adolescent sibling discussions: equality and fairness, invasion of the personal domain, intrinsic harm, and relationships. Older [M = 14.97, standard deviation (SD) = 1.69 years] and younger siblings (M = 12.20, SD = 1.90 years) from 144 dyads discussed conflicts during a semi‐structured conflict task. Trained observers coded the topics discussed, and separate observers rated their conflict styles, whereas siblings rated their relationship quality. The proportion of conflicts of each domain differed by dyadic gender composition. Equality and fairness conflicts (and invasion of the personal domain conflicts for sister–sister pairs) were discussed the most frequently whereas intrinsic harm conflicts were associated with destructive conflict styles. Siblings' discussions of conflicts involving intrinsic harm were associated with older siblings' reports of negative relationship quality. The associations between these conflict topics and negative relationship quality were mediated by the siblings discussing the conflicts in destructive ways.

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, adolescents' typical social support systems have been disrupted. The present study examined adolescent adjustment during the pandemic (summer, 2020) while controlling for pre‐pandemic adjustment (2017–2018) in 170 youth (ages 12–20) from Missouri and Florida. We also examined whether positive and negative relationship qualities with four close others (i.e., mothers, fathers, siblings, and best friends) interacted with COVID‐related stress to impact adolescent adjustment. In general, we found that close relationships impacted adolescent adjustment in expected directions (i.e., positive relationships better for adjustment, negative relationships more detrimental), but while mothers and fathers impacted adolescent adjustment in largely similar ways to pre‐pandemic studies, influences of relationships with best friends and sibling were more impacted by COVID‐related stress.

AbstractIn typical times, adolescents' relationships with family members influence changing cognitive, social, and physical aspects of their development. The COVID‐19 pandemic, however, impacted the full family system in ways that were unprecedented. Scholars of adolescence worldwide were driven to understand how adolescents' relationships with family members changed due to these dramatic societal shifts and the influence these relationships had on adolescents' well‐being. This systematic review examined two research questions with 189 articles published from 2020–2022: (1) How has the COVID‐19 pandemic impacted families with adolescents, including broader family functioning, family relationship qualities, and parenting? and (2) How has the pandemic or pandemic‐related stressors interacted with family functioning, family relationships, and parenting of adolescents to impact adolescent well‐being and adjustment? Additionally, examination of the relevant studies were divided into sub‐themes of pandemic influence: (a) family environment and routines, (b) family difficulties, (c) parenting and parent−adolescent relationships, and (d) sibling relationships.

Associations between observed mother–adolescent interactions during a conflict task and adolescents' information management strategies were examined in 108 primarily middle class, European‐American adolescents (M = 13.80 years, SD = 1.52) and their mothers. Teens who communicated more clearly disclosed more about personal and multifaceted activities, lied less about personal activities, and engaged in less avoidance regarding multifaceted and prudential activities. Mothers' clear communication was associated with less adolescent disclosure and more avoidance about personal and multifaceted activities. Teens with more receptive mothers omitted less prudential information but avoided discussing prudential issues more. Maternal warmth was not associated with information management. The results highlight the need to distinguish between parent and teen behaviors and between affective quality and specific communicative behaviors.

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined Latina college students' perceptions of sisters' dyadic coping behaviors following stress disclosure, and how dyadic coping behaviors were associated with sibling relationship characteristics and familism values.BackgroundSibling relationships are protective when college students experience adversity.MethodThe sample included 195 Latina college students (Mage = 23.25 years, SD = 1.93) and path analysis was conducted to address the study goals.ResultsLatina college students perceived high levels of supportive, delegated, and common dyadic coping behaviors and moderate levels of negative dyadic coping behaviors from their sisters. Latina college students who lived with their sisters perceived more delegated dyadic coping behaviors than those who lived apart. Sibling intimacy was positively associated with perceptions of sisters' supportive, delegated, and common dyadic coping, but was not associated with negative dyadic coping behaviors. Sibling negativity was negatively associated with perceptions of sisters' supportive and common dyadic coping behaviors and positively associated with perceptions of sisters' negative dyadic coping behaviors. Further, Latina college students' stronger endorsement of familism values was associated with greater perceptions of sisters' supportive, delegated, and common dyadic coping behaviors.ConclusionOverall, our study showed that Latina college students perceived dyadic coping behaviors from their sisters, which were associated with aspects of their sibling relationship and their endorsement of familism values.ImplicationsContinuing to examine dyadic coping in siblings is important as it may have implications for family‐focused prevention and intervention programs.

This study aimed to examine changes in depression and anxiety symptoms from before to during the first 6 months of the COVID‐19 pandemic in a sample of 1,339 adolescents (9–18 years old, 59% female) from three countries. We also examined if age, race/ethnicity, disease burden, or strictness of government restrictions moderated change in symptoms. Data from 12 longitudinal studies (10 U.S., 1 Netherlands, 1 Peru) were combined. Linear mixed effect models showed that depression, but not anxiety, symptoms increased significantly (median increase = 28%). The most negative mental health impacts were reported by multiracial adolescents and those under 'lockdown' restrictions. Policy makers need to consider these impacts by investing in ways to support adolescents' mental health during the pandemic.