<p>The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a relation between birth order, gender and locus of control. There where 162 participants in the study, 44 men, 115 women. Birth order was coded into three levels. There where no significant differences between birth order and locus of control. The result showed that female participants where more external when it came to locus of control. When birth order was coded into two levels, there was a significant difference in locus of control. Only-borns where significant more internal than the other sibling groups. Firstborns/ only-borns where significant more internal than both second-born and last-borns. There was no interaction effect between birth order and gender. Adler´s sibling theories and Rotter´s theory of locus of control helped to explain the significant results found in this study.</p>

The goals of this study are to describe the importance of developing a measure of sibling group cohesion, to define this measure, to test the validity of the measure using similar constructs, and to explore how sibling group cohesion predicts perceived personal achievement. Sibling group cohesion is defined as an individual’s voluntary commitment to one’s group of siblings, which forms an open unit. A 12-item scale of adult sibling group cohesion is developed and validated. Adult siblings from sibling groups of 3 or more were asked to take an online survey and 541 participants from 184 families completed the survey. Three theories are proposed for how sibling group cohesion could impact achievement: support, expectations, and shared identity theories. Results indicate that sibling group cohesion is related to, but still unique from, the average and standard deviation of dyadic sibling relationship positivity quality. Individuals from larger families, who have a high proportion of siblings who inspire them, and who have high and consistently positive dyadic relationships report having high sibling group cohesion. Additionally, results from this study show sibling group cohesion is a strong positive predictor of two measurements of perceived personal achievement. The predictive power of sibling group cohesion is stronger than that of the average of dyadic sibling relationship positivity, and is mediated by a combination of support, average dyadic positivity, and demographic variables. Specifically, receiving active and emotional support, as well as being introduced to activities by a majority of one’s siblings is predictive of better achievement. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2007. / Adviser: Maureen Perry-Jenkins. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin, School of Nursing. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1993. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-72).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1985. / Typescript (photocopy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-55).

Acculturation and enculturation processes and sibling relationship quality are important constructs for understanding the psychosocial wellbeing of immigrant adolescents. In this thesis, I used a mixed-method approach to (a) understand how similar or different siblings’ cultural orientations are, (b) the role siblings may play in shaping one another’s cultural orientation, and (c) how changes in cultural orientation are related to sibling relationship quality. Quantitative data were collected from 31 adolescent sibling dyads at two time points, and qualitative data were collected from individual interviews with 16 young adults. Participants in both samples identified as having a Chinese cultural background and immigrated to Canada with their family before the age of 14. The results of the qualitative interviews suggested that siblings often perceived themselves as culturally similar, although the quantitative data were not congruent with that view. There was ample evidence that siblings influence one another’s cultural profiles. For example, in the quantitative data, higher cultural involvement by one sibling, especially in the Canadian dimension, predicted decreases in the other sibling’s involvement in that same domain 18 months later. These patterns were corroborated with themes derived through the interviews. The thematic analyses identified five factors that fostered similarities and differences in the cultural profiles of immigrant siblings, as well as four themes describing the perceived effects of being similar or different. The qualitative findings suggested that there are few cultural conflicts among siblings. Instead, siblings act as cultural mediators in parent-child conflicts, and they are in a unique position to understand and support each other. This study provided preliminary insight into how similar or different Chinese immigrant siblings are in a Canadian metropolitan context. Overall, the findings illustrate ways in which siblings play an important role in the family by supporting one another in adjusting to life in Canada. / Graduate

Having a child or sibling with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be a positive experience, but it influences every family member differently. The present thesis examined the psychosocial adjustment of typically developing (TD) siblings of children with ASD and the extent to which this is impacted by key demographic and psychological variables. In addition, the influence of variables more specific to the families of children with ASD were considered, such as the broader autism phenotype (BAP) in parents and siblings, and the severity of symptoms in the child with ASD. A cross-cultural perspective was also adopted, in order to compare the coping and adjustment processes of siblings of children with ASD within two different cultures - Taiwan and the United Kingdom (UK). A combination of the Double ABCX Model and the Diathesis-Stress Model was used to explore: the influence of BAP-related traits; the interaction between coping, stressors, and support resources; and how these variables influenced TD siblings‘ adjustment outcome in the two locations. The research model was explored in two, interlinked studies using complimentary quantitative and qualitative methods. The first study was a large-scale questionnaire study including 89 and 77 parent-TD sibling dyads, in Taiwan and the UK, respectively. The findings indicated that UK siblings evaluated themselves as having significantly more adjustment difficulties but also significantly higher prosocial behaviour than their Taiwanese counterparts. Furthermore, there were substantial differences in terms of the variables which predicted TD siblings‘ adjustment outcome between the two countries. Taiwanese TD siblings‘ adjustment was more related to children‘s internal characteristics, while the UK TD siblings were influenced by both internal and external variables. The benefits of social support for adjustment were also evident in both countries. The discrepancies between parents and TD siblings‘ reports could be interpreted as resulting from culturally-specific patterns in parent evaluation of child behaviours. The siblings‘ level of BAP traits was also found to moderate the relation between ethnicity/culture and TD siblings‘ self-report adjustment difficulties. If Taiwanese TD siblings were reported to have higher BAP level by their parents, they showed fewer adjustment difficulties than those with lower BAP level, whereas the opposite pattern was found in UK siblings. This may indicate that for Taiwanese TD siblings‘ BAP level had a negative impact on their ability to evaluate their adjustment difficulties. Seven parent-TD sibling dyads from each country participated in the follow-up interview study. From thematic analysis of the data, a negative tone in the descriptions of the influence of ASD on the TD sibling was more evident in parents‘ and TD siblings‘ transcription in Taiwan, while a more balanced tone was apparent in the UK families. With the emphasis on involving their children in decisions about the child with ASD and providing age-appropriate information from the UK parents, it was speculated that UK siblings had a greater understanding of their parents‘ stress. Various types of support service were mentioned in the UK, whereas the availability of social services and support was relatively limited in Taiwan, whether for parents or TD siblings. Taken together, the findings from the two studies have important implications for clinical and educational settings. UK siblings‘ adjustment could be enhanced through modelling the coping of parents, while Taiwanese siblings could benefit from increased social support from peers. Health professionals should be aware of the influence of the BAP level displayed in parents and TD siblings, which might change the way they experience stress and respond under pressure. This thesis emphasised the importance of using TD siblings‘ report in comparison with parents‘ evaluation. Some potential relations, such as between BAP level and the coping style of parents and TD siblings remain unclear. With further development of self-report measurements, future research could replicate the present research design to clarify the influence of the variables discussed.