Relationship quality of aggressive children and their siblings: A multiinformant, multimeasure investigation (original) (raw)
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Association Between Early Childhood Aggression and Internalizing Behavior for Sibling Pairs
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2003
Objective: This article investigates sibling similarity in early childhood problem behavior. Method: Analyses are based on an Australian longitudinal study of health and development that included sister, brother, and mixed-sex sibling pairs. Pregnant women were recruited into the study in 1981 to 1983 and provided information regarding family characteristics and child behavior from birth through the age of 5 years. The relationship between older and younger siblings' aggression and internalizing behavior at the age of 5 years is examined, based upon maternal reports on a shortened version of the Child Behavior Checklist for 414 sibling pairs (60% of the initial sibling sample). Results: The results demonstrate a moderately strong association between sibling's aggression and internalizing behavior, for mixed-and same-sex siblings, with correlation coefficients of 0.26 to 0.39. The association between older and younger sibling's behavior remains significant, controlling for family characteristics such as mother's age, mental health, marital status, affection toward children, and family size and income. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of including siblings in familybased intervention programs aimed at reducing child behavior problems.
Familial Correlates of Overt and Relational Aggression between Young Adolescent Siblings
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2008
Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group structural equation modeling were used to test correlates of overt and relational aggression between young adolescent siblings across four groups (i.e., male/male, male/female, female/male, and female/female sibling pairs), using 433 predominately European American families. Similar patterns of associations were found across groups when distinguished by gender composition. Family environment emerged as an important factor in explaining internalizing problems as well as overt/relational aggression for both younger and older siblings. While perceived maternal psychological control was significantly positively related to overt/relational aggression and internalizing problems for younger siblings, it was significantly positively associated with only relational aggression for older siblings. Findings also provided partial support for the positive linkages between young adolescents' aggression and their own and siblings' internalizing problems above and beyond the aforementioned family and maternal variables. Results of the current study extend the understanding of adolescent aggression to a new relational context, or among siblings, and highlight the role of family factors in promoting or buffering the impact of aggression on internalizing behaviors. Keywords Young adolescent siblings Á Overt aggression Á Relational aggression Á Family cohesion Á Positive emotional expressiveness Á Maternal psychological control Á Maternal differential treatment Á Internalizing problems This study was a portion of the first author's doctoral dissertation, directed by the second author.
Verbal Aggression In Sibling Relationships
Communication …, 1997
The major focus of this study was to further investigate the area of sibling verbal aggression. In order to research this area, students at West Virginia University and their siblings were asked to complete a questionnaire about verbal aggression. The results showed that self-reports of verbal aggression were consistent with other reports. Results also showed that male same sexed siblings were more likely to display more verbal aggression than all other combinations. Results revealed that males self-reports of verbal aggression were higher than females. Results also indicated that males are reported by their siblings to be more verbally aggressive than females. These results lead to the conclusion that the sibling relationship is important and that the communication aspect in this area is one that communication scholars should further research.
This study investigated the prospective links between sibling aggression and the development of externalizing problems using a multilevel modeling approach with a genetically sensitive design. The sample consisted of 780 adolescents (390 sibling pairs) who participated in two waves of the Nonshared Environment for Adolescent Development (NEAD) project. Sibling pairs with varying degree of genetic relatedness, including monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins, full siblings, half siblings, and genetically unrelated siblings, were included. The results showed that sibling aggression at Time 1 was significantly associated with the focal child's externalizing problems at Time 2 after accounting for the intra-class correlations between siblings. Sibling aggression remained significant in predicting subsequent externalizing problems even after controlling for the levels of pre-existing externalizing problems and mothers' punitive parenting. This pattern of results was fairly robust across models using different informants. The findings provide converging evidence for the unique contribution of sibling aggression in understanding changes in externalizing problems during adolescence.
Child Development Research, 2011
In this study, researchers wished to ascertain whether there were age (three- and four-year old), sibling (with or without older siblings), and sex (male and female) differences in the use of relational aggression in preschool students as rated by peers and teachers. In order to answer this research question, two 2 × 2 × 2 factorial ANOVA procedures with the relational aggression composite score as the dependent variable on the PSBS-P and PSBS-T were used for peer and teacher assessment, respectively, of relational aggression. Results revealed that in the peer ratings of preschool students' relationally aggressive behavior, there was an disordinal age by sibling interaction, in which four-year-old children with siblings were significantly more likely to be rated by their peers as using relational aggression than three-year-old children without siblings. In the teacher ratings of preschool students' relationally aggressive behavior, a main effect for age was observed. Teacher...
Relational Aggression in Sibling Context: Scale Revision and Factor Analysis in a Taiwanese Sample
JURNAL PSIKOLOGI MALAYSIA, 2017
It measures both overt and relational aggression, as well as two functions of aggressive behavior: reactive and instrumental. However, it focuses on the aggressive behavior in the peer setting, but not in the sibling context. The aim of this study was to adapt this scale in the sibling context. Respondents were 384 primary school students aged 10 to 12 years old who agreed to participate and met the inclusion criteria completed both measurements (The Forms and Functions of Aggression Questionnaire, and Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a second-order model with three subdomains (pure relational aggression, reactive-relational aggression, and instrumental-relational aggression). Moderate and significant predictive validity was found. In sum, the Forms and Functions of Aggression Questionnaire is considered a suitable measure to be used in the sibling context with acceptable validity and reliability indices.
Observations of sibling interactions in violent families
Journal of Community Psychology, 2001
This study examined sibling relationships of children from violent and non-violent families. Participants included 20 children (10 dyads) who were shelter residents and their mothers and 40 children (20 dyads) from the community and their mothers. Mothers reported on children's behavior problems, sibling conflict resolution strategies, and the quality of the sibling relationship. Children reported on the quality of their sibling relationships. Sibling interactions were observed during both cooperative and competitive tasks. Shelter children had more internalizing problems than comparison children did. Mothers reported that siblings from violent homes used less verbal and physical aggression than the comparison group. Siblings in the shelter group were supportive. There were no significant differences in observed conflictual behavior. The importance of the sibling relationship and implications for intervention are discussed.
Perpetration of sibling aggression and sibling relationship quality in emerging adulthood
Personal Relationships, 2019
This study examined how emerging adults' perpetration of aggression toward a sibling closest in age was longitudinally associated with their sibling relationship quality. Emerging adults (N = 143; M age = 19.62; 70% female) completed surveys online or by mail at two time points, 4 years apart. Of emerging adults, 25% perpetrated aggression against their closest-in-age sibling. Perpetration of sibling aggression was predictive 4 years later of less sibling warmth, involvement, and emotional help. None of the interactions with gender and sibling gender was significant. This study's findings demonstrate the importance of examining the consequences of perpetration of aggressive behavior toward a sibling for sibling relationship quality in emerging adulthood.
Sibling Proactive and Reactive Aggression in Adolescence
Journal of Family Violence, 2013
Existing research on aggression tends to narrowly focus on peers; less is known about sibling aggression, most likely due to its historical acceptance. Aggression is characterized by its forms (i.e., physical vs. social or relational aggression) and its functions (i.e., the motivations behind the aggressive act and categorized as proactive vs. reactive aggression). We use data from a two-wave study of middle (n = 197; M age = 12.63 years at Wave 1) and older (n = 159; M age = 16.50 years at Wave 1) adolescents to assess the extent to which proactive and reactive functions of sibling aggression make unique or conditional contributions to adolescent adjustment (i.e., depression, delinquency, and substance use). We find that proactive sibling aggression increases risk for problem substance use and delinquent behavior, reactive sibling aggression increases risk for depressed mood and delinquent behavior, and such results are observed even with statistical adjustments for sociodemographic and family variables, stressful life events, and prior adjustment. Few conditional effects of proactive or reactive sibling aggression by sex or grade are observed; yet, for all three outcomes, the harmful effects of reactive sibling aggression are strongest among adolescents who