Children in middle childhood were surveyed in elementary schools to explore possible associations between their perceptions about certain characteristics of their sibling relationships and the ways in which their parents responded to sibling quarrels. An instrument was developed to measure perceptions of types of parental responses and the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire was used to assess sibling conflict, warmth/closeness, and perceptions of parental partiality. Factor analyses revealed that the parental responses of punishing, prohibiting, and group discipline were closely related, reflecting a single dimension (alpha=.81). Labeled restricting, regression analyses indicated that this type of parental response to sibling quarrels was a strong positive predictor of sibling conflict, a negative predictor of sibling warmth/closeness, and unrelated to perceptions of parental partiality. The contributions of the other types of parental responses to the aspects of sibling relationships studied were different for girls and boys. Parental referring to family rules contributed positively to girls' sibling conflict, and negatively to sibling warmth/closeness. Parental mediating conciliation, particularly by mothers, was a strong positive predictor of boys' sibling warmth/closeness. Parental mediating conciliation negatively contributed to boys' sibling conflict, particularly fathers' mediating conciliation. Nonintervention by parents, particularly fathers' nonintervention, was a strong positive predictor of boys' sibling conflict, and contributed positively to boys' perceptions of parental partiality, as well. However, among girls, fathers' nonintervention positively contributed to sibling warmth/closeness and negatively contributed to partiality. Boys perceived more sibling conflict than girls, but other sibling constellation and family structure variables did not contribute significantly to the aspects of sibling relationships studied. / Graduation date: 1995

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the self-perceptions of mothers who remained at home with infants differed from self-perceptions of mothers who were employed outside the home with infants. Selected aspects of the mothering role and employment orientation were examined. The sample consisted of seventy-five mothers of twelve- to eighteen-month-old infants. The subjects resided in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.A survey instrument was developed through a pilot study to gather information needed to test the null hypothesis. All subjects were interviewed personally in their own homes to obtain data for the study. The .05 level of significance was established as the probability level for the nonacceptance of the hypothesis.The subjects were placed in one of two groups, mothers who remained at home with their infant and mothers who were employed outside the home for more than twenty hours a week. Those employed outside the home must have been employed for the six months before and including the month of the interview. A multivariate analysis of variance and associated univariate analysis of variance were used to test the study hypothesis.The two groups of mothers were found to differ significantly from one another on one of the six measures of self-perception. The six measures statistically analyzed were:(1) self-esteem, (2) childrearing behavior, (3) guilt, (4) employment orientation, (5) monetary consideration relative to employment and intrinsic motivation relative to employment, and (6) effect on the family. The measure that contributed to the rejection of the hypothesis was the variable "effect on the family." There was no difference between the. two groups on the remaining five variables.A descriptive analysis of open-ended questions yielded further information: (1) mothers with infants preferred their present roles, whether they remained at home or were employed outside the home; (2) mothers enjoyed their roles whether at home or at work outside the home; (3) mothers employed outside the home were more likely to express feelings of guilt when leaving their infants than mothers who remained at home; and (4) mothers were supported by their husbands in their decisions to remain at home or to be employed outside the home.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-77). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-53). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-59). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1998. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-188). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ27304.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-59). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-146). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.