Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Amber Vennum / Using a sample of 109 students at a Midwestern university with divorced or separated parents I explored a) how sibling order and young adults’ age at parental divorce or separation impacted their experience of boundary ambiguity, parentification, stress, and family satisfaction and support, b) whether parentification mediated the effects of boundary ambiguity on stress, family support and family satisfaction, and c) whether sibling order moderated the relationship between these variables. I found that the child’s age at parental divorce/separation was positively correlated with boundary ambiguity, and negatively correlated with parentification, stress, family satisfaction, and social support. First or only children reported higher rates of parentification, specifically taking on a spousal role with their parents than younger siblings. Further, in divorced/separated families boundary ambiguity was positively related to young adults’ stress and negatively related to their levels of family satisfaction and family support both directly and indirectly through parentification. However, sibling order was not found to moderate the relationships between boundary ambiguity, parentification, family support, family satisfaction, and stress. Implications for theory and intervention are discussed.

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 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>