Marital relationships play an important role in family functioning and in the development of sibling relationships. From a family systems perspective, other subsystems within the family, such as coparenting interactions, could explain the effects of the marital relationship on sibling bonds. Specifically, the quality of the coparenting relationship may mediate the association between marital functioning and sibling relationship quality. The current study examined relationships between these three subsystems (marital, coparenting, and sibling) as self-reported by mothers, fathers, and children with siblings. As part of a larger project, families with a child aged 8 to 11 and at least one sibling (N = 75) completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Coparenting Scale (both completed by mother and father), as well as the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (completed by target child). Results suggested that marital functioning is a significant predictor of functioning within the coparenting relationship. Predicted associations did not emerge between sibling relationship quality and marital or coparenting relationships, with minor exceptions, and the coparenting relationship did not mediate the association between marital and sibling relationship quality. Implications of the current findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

This study tested a conceptual model of adolescents’ feelings of privacy invasion derived from CPM. Specifically, goals were to describe adolescents’ expectations of privacy, to describe how often adolescents are exposed to behaviors that threaten privacy, and to test privacy beliefs, potentially invasive behaviors, and having things to hide as predictors of individual differences in feelings of privacy invasion. Furthermore, each question and hypothesis was examined across four privacy domains and four relationships to determine whether privacy functions similarly or uniquely across domains and relationships. Participants were 118 adolescents (59% female), ranging from age 15 to 18 years of age (M age = 16.4 years, SD = .78). Results indicate that adolescents expect more privacy around their personal information than they expect around domains more aligned with parental monitoring. Sharing personal information elicited the greatest feelings of privacy invasion. The present study found some support the CPM based conceptual model. Adolescents expect information contained within the boundaries to remain private and intrusions into these boundaries elicit feelings of privacy invasion. Additionally, the current study found evidence to support the alternative model that the threat of discovery also elicits feelings of privacy invasion.

No description available.

The purpose of this project was to create a research‑based sibling support group for 7 to 12 year‑old children who have a sibling with autism. Typically‑developing children (N = 3) and their parents attended a four‑week, once‑weekly sibling support group. The program focused on topics found to be the key issues of typically‑developing siblings who have a sibling with autism: discovering that others share similar family circumstances, learning about their sibling with autism’s special needs, discussing issues and problems children with siblings who have ASD typically face (and developing effective coping strategies to deal with these issues), and having an opportunity to express who they are as individuals. Pre‑and post‑ assessments showed that the group only slightly increased their knowledge about autism. Feedback from the children suggested that they especially enjoyed the opportunity to speak openly about their sibling with autism and having the opportunity to share activities and items that were important to them. The children reported that they did not enjoy having to complete worksheets related to information about autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, they did not understand the information that was presented about the programs and interventions that some children with ASD may use. Overall, the sibling support group provided an opportunity for children with a sibling with autism to share feelings and experiences about their sibling, including problems they face.

<p>Individuella skillnader i empati, att kunna sätta sig in i någon annans situation och förstå vad en annan person känner, har studerats i tidigare forskning. En aspekt som visat skillnader angående personlighet men bristande belysts i samband med empati är syskonposition; om man är endabarnet, yngsta, mellan eller äldstabarnet. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka huruvida syskonpositionen har betydelse för den empatiska förmågan.  Deltagarna var nittiosex studenter och tjänstemän som läste en historia och därefter fyllde i en empatiskala om vilka känslor de kände för personen i historien. Resultatet visade att endabarn hade signifikant högre värden på empati än äldsta barn. De var dock inte tydligt uttalat vem man skulle känna empati för vilket kan ha påverkat resultatet.</p>

The purpose of this study was to determine how the presence of resilience was manifested in a population of children within homeless families and more specifically, whether the sibling relationship provided a unique contribution to child psychological adjustment. Analyses were conducted to determine if the sibling relationship provided a unique contribution to the amelioration of child psychological distress among children within homeless families, thereby promoting child resilience. The variables of the study included resilience, sibling relationship, and psychological distress among children within homeless families. Data was collected from 60 school-aged children (26 boys and 34 girls), ages 9 to 17, who, along with their parents and siblings, resided in two, agency-operated, emergency housing centers located in Miami-Dade County. Hypothesis 1 predicted that high resilience would be related to low psychological distress. Hypothesis 2 predicted that positive sibling relationship would be related to low psychological distress and Hypothesis 3 predicted that high resilience and positive sibling relationship would be related to low psychological distress. It was concluded that resilience was partially related to low psychological distress; however, the relationship between positive sibling relationship and low psychological distress was not supported by the data in this study. The clinical and service implications of this study are discussed and recommendations are made for future research on this subject.

Individuella skillnader i empati, att kunna sätta sig in i någon annans situation och förstå vad en annan person känner, har studerats i tidigare forskning. En aspekt som visat skillnader angående personlighet men bristande belysts i samband med empati är syskonposition; om man är endabarnet, yngsta, mellan eller äldstabarnet. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka huruvida syskonpositionen har betydelse för den empatiska förmågan.  Deltagarna var nittiosex studenter och tjänstemän som läste en historia och därefter fyllde i en empatiskala om vilka känslor de kände för personen i historien. Resultatet visade att endabarn hade signifikant högre värden på empati än äldsta barn. De var dock inte tydligt uttalat vem man skulle känna empati för vilket kan ha påverkat resultatet.

This thesis explores the experiences of adult siblings of individuals with impairments. It expands on the existing literature by exploring the complexity of the sibling experience of disability while moving beyond the concepts of burden and maladjustment that have characterized much of the previous literature. In addition, it expands upon and extends to the sibling experience an emerging view of disability by examining the ways in which themes identified in sibling narratives cross lines between the Medical and Social Models of Disability. Building on work by Mark Priestly and Tom Shakespeare, I call this emerging view the Interactional Model of Disability. Using in-depth interviews, four key themes have been identified: encountering bodily difference, the importance of social relationships, the mediating effects of resources, and complex emotions within the sibling experience. Findings indicate that variations within the sibling disability experience depend largely on whether impairment is appropriately acknowledged and accepted by the larger community, accessibility of resources, and the strength of social support. The use of informal caregiving was also an important factor in terms of the emotions experienced by siblings. Those participants whose families relied exclusively on informal caregiving experienced greater concerns about long term care arrangements than those participants whose families utilized some aspect of formalized caregiving such in home supports or assisted living arrangements.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Michal Perlman.