Many studies of family relationships in later adulthood fail to take into account earlier experiences. This study investigated predictors of family contact and closeness. Data were provided by 500 adult children (aged 22 to 72) and 190 adult siblings (aged 45 to 96) of elderly participants in the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Subjects rated the…

Examined gender and developmental differences in awareness of underlying feelings about subjects' age-near, same-sex sibling in 60 child-rearing and empty nest subjects. Found that women seemed to be more aware of their underlying feelings toward sisters than were men toward brothers, but valence of feelings was life phase-specific. (TE)

The contextual model argues that people in a relationship must experience a sense of loyalty, fairness, and reciprocity in order to build commitment and trust and provide ongoing mutual care. The Relational Ethics Scale (RES), which assess key relational variables, was developed for use in empirical research to test the theoretical framework of…

This report discusses the findings from an Estonian study that used the Kvebaek Family Sculpture Technique to compare family relationships in families of 47 children (ages 7-10) with siblings with mental retardation to family relationships in families of 43 typical children. The family size ranged from four to five members, so there were two to…

Examined within-family differences in parenting and problem behavior in 95 nondivorced and 421 remarried families. Within-family differences in parenting and problem behavior were greatest in remarried families where siblings did not share the same biological parent. Differential treatment was also more strongly related to problem behavior in this…

Previous research relating the quality of the relationship with the mother, father, and sibling to adolescent self-concept only investigated social and general self-concept and not various social and cognitive dimensions of self-concept. This study investigated family relationships and their link to the several domains of self-concept.…

Investigated relations among parenting, sibling relationship, peer group, and adolescents' externalizing behaviors. Found that contributions of parental negativity, parental monitoring, and sibling negativity to adolescents' externalizing behaviors operated directly and also indirectly through deviant peer associations. Relationships varied as a…

A total of 50 children were observed at home at 33 months of age and then tested at 40 months on affective labeling, perspective taking, and false belief tasks. Individual differences at 40 months were associated with family discourse about feelings and causality at 33 months, verbal fluency of mother and child, and sibling cooperation. (BC)

This study had three aims: (1) to identify stressful situations faced by Indian children and adolescents working on the streets; (2) to study their preference for social support when faced with stress; and (3) to identify gender differences in social support preferences. One hundred 8- to 18-year-olds, working as beggars, vendors, or ragpickers,…

Household survey data and family histories from three highland Philippine communities were analyzed for differentials of age, sex, and birth order of siblings relative to the contributions they made to brothers and sisters. Apparent specializations among siblings provide evidence of role complementarity. (Author/TE)

This paper reviews the research on how siblings respond to another sibling who has survived childhood cancer. The paper examines the siblings' ability to cope, adjust, and adapt to this stressor. Relevant interventions are also discussed. The research indicates that although siblings may experience heightened emotional and behavioral problems,…

One goal of a longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was to assess the quality and functioning of the sibling relationship and to determine the conditions under which sibling relationships become more cohesive or more competitive during family transitions. Relationships between the target…

This study examined family-based relationships as predictors of social functioning in primary school and the possible protective role of family-based relationships for children at risk for school problems. Longitudinal data gathered on 158 children were used to examine the unique contributions of mother-child attachment classification at ages 1…