No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Sibling aggression is one of the most frequently occurring forms of aggression within the family and has been associated with socioemotional problems. Guided by the cultural context perspective and family systems theory, a conceptual model depicting the direct and indirect effects of cultural orientation values, traditional gender role attitudes, parental differential treatment, and parent-child conflict on sibling aggression and psychosocial functioning (i.e., psychological distress and interpersonal difficulties) was developed. It was hypothesized that perceptions of cultural values and gender role attitudes endorsed by primary caregivers would be associated with family dynamics factors (i.e., parental differential treatment and parent-child conflict) that contributed to sibling aggression and resulting impaired psychosocial functioning. A total of 272 participants completed the online questionnaire that measured the variables of interest. Structural equation modeling (SEM) methods were used to analyze the data. Findings of the final models lent clear support to the indirect effects of cultural values and gender role attitudes on sibling aggression and resulting psychosocial functioning through differential treatment and parent-child conflict although the results also yielded some unexpected nuances regarding the indirect effect paths. Specifically, lower levels of independent cultural values contributed to greater levels of sibling aggression and impaired psychosocial functioning through more differential treatment and parent-child conflict, while higher levels of traditional gender role attitudes contributed to the outcome variables only through differential treatment. Findings are discussed from the cultural context and family systems framework. Limitations, future directions, and clinical implications are also discussed.

Sibling relationships have been proven to be influential to the well-being of emerging adults. However, the diversity of individuals, particularly in regard to siblings of individuals with disabilities, has rarely been examined. Therefore, the current study explored the association among sibling relationships, coping, and well-being of emerging adults who have non-disabled siblings or autistic siblings. A single online survey was distributed to people between 18-25 who have non-disabled siblings or autistic siblings. The results found that siblings of autistic individuals reported significantly less sibling warmth, less gratitude, and more emotion suppression than siblings of a non-disabled brother or sister. In addition, optimism, gratitude, and emotion suppression were mediators that affected how sibling warmth related to individual’s distress. Furthermore, optimism and gratitude could be mediators that influenced the relationship between sibling warmth and individual’s resilience. In conclusion, the current study proposed that the difference of coping styles may be the underlying mechanism of worse well-being of siblings, and more perceived sibling warmth may be a buffer for ASD-Sibs’ resilience and coping. / M.S. / Sibling relationships can provide great supports for people during emerging adulthood (18-25 years old). The current study explored how sibling relationships affected emerging adults’ distress. We recruited non-disabled individuals who had an autistic sibling or a non-disabled sibling, and distributed them into ASD-group and ND-group correspondingly. There were 26 participants in ASD-group and 73 participants in ND-group. We found that people who had autistic siblings reported less sibling warmth, gratitude attitude, and more emotion suppression compared to people who had non-disabled siblings. We also found that sibling warmth affected distress by influencing optimism, gratitude, and emotion suppression. In addition, sibling warmth affected individual’s resilience by influencing optimism and gratitude. In conclusion, we proposed that for emerging adults who had an autistic sibling, clinical practitioners should focus more on their coping styles and their sibling relationships.

The funtioning of families of children with developmental disabilities has been of interest to researchers for some time. To date, little research has focused on experiences of New Zealand families. The aim of this research is to investigate relationships between various aspects of the family environment and family functioning, and to explore siblings' level of self-concept and satisfaction with the sibling relationship. It is expected that families who receive more support from external levels of the environment will be able to function more effectively in their immediate environment (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Hornby, 1994). Twenty-one parents and nineteen siblings of children with developmental disabilities volunteered to take part in this study. Parent participants completed questionnaires about family demographics, the level of support received from external sources, their perceptions of the family environment, and level of stress related to child characteristics; pessimism and family problems. Sibling participants completed questionnaires about their satisfaction with the relationship with their brother or sister, their self-concept, and their own perceptionso of the family environment. The results indicate that there are a number of relationships between various aspects of the environment and family functioning. Siblings who are more satisfied with their relationship have higher self-concept scores, however the self-concept scores were lower than expected. Families who receive higher levels of support have more positive perceptions of the family enviornment, and families who have more support and more positive views of the environment have few concerns on the resources and stress scale. The results indicated that families consider that they are receiving adequate support from professional services, however support from family and friends appears to be lacking. This study has provided insight into the functioning of New Zealand families who have children with developmental disabilities, and has suggested a number of avenues for future research.

Sibling violence is a common occurrence for many children yet this form of family violence has received minimal attention in research compared to other forms of child maltreatment. With parents as an integral component in the lives of many children, parental perceptions and experiences of violence between siblings are important to understand. Furthermore, with the increased variation in family structures within society, inclusion of multiple types of families in research is necessary to encompass a broad understanding of sibling violence. This case study included seven parents from four different family structures to examine their perceptions and experiences of physical and emotional violence between siblings. Three phases of data collection including both quantitative and qualitative data gathered information about participants’ experiences with siblings in childhood, witnessed behaviors between children, behaviors associated with sibling violence and sibling rivalry, and labels used to refer to violence between siblings. Participants were also presented with several case scenarios depicting various sibling interactions in which they processed the degree to which they found the behaviors violent or non-violent. Findings indicate that family structure is less important than past and present environmental and contextual factors in understanding participant differentiation between problematic and non-problematic behaviors between siblings. Data from all three phases helped in the construction of a parental decision-making model of sibling interaction that included consideration of past experiences, children factors, the context of interaction, and family rules when classifying behaviors. Implications of the findings for social work direct practice, policy aimed at addressing violence between siblings, advocacy through parental education, social work education, and future directions for research in the area of sibling violence are presented.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Claudia Oliveira Salles.pdf: 520794 bytes, checksum: 5f8e1f29408292c3f68605c01db4a3ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-21 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The aim of this research is to understand the meaning given to sibling relationships over time and how these relationships are inserted in the family history. The study was based on the Family Systemic Approach and the current references about sibling relationship during the childhood, adolescence and adulthood. A case study was performed in one family of four adult brothers, two women and two men, between the ages of 29 and 40. A compound procedure was used by applying two scales Life Spam Relationship Sibling (translated to be used in this study) and Parental Boding Instrument (PBI version in Portuguese), an initial questionnaire with open questions, besides a group interview with all brothers and sisters together and an individual interview with the mother. It was verified in this study that the fraternal bounds were built, from the childhood to the adulthood, based on the unit and mutual support, offering a feeling of closeness even without the frequent coexistence. The sibling relationship in this family functions as net of support, solidarity and friendship. The clearness of the boundaries established between the original family and the nuclear family was an essential aspect to the conjugality and functional parenthood. Another important factor was the parents mediation in their children s relationship during their childhood. This mediation provided a development of children s resources to solve conflicts, facilitating the construction of good communication between the siblings and the respect for differences among them / A presente pesquisa buscou investigar o significado atribuído às relações fraternas ao longo do tempo, e como esses relacionamentos se inserem na história familiar. O estudo foi baseado na abordagem sistêmica da família e as referências atuais acerca da fratria na infância, adolescência e idade adulta. Foi realizado um estudo de caso com uma família com quatro irmãos adultos, duas mulheres e dois homens, com idade entre 29 e 40 anos. Foi utilizado um procedimento composto pela a aplicação de duas escalas a Life Span Relationship Sibling (traduzida para uso neste estudo) e a Parental Boding Instrument (PBI versão para português), a resposta um questionário inicial com perguntas abertas além de entrevista de grupo com todos os irmãos e individual com a mãe. Constatou-se neste estudo que os laços fraternos foram construídos, da infância a idade adulta, baseados na unidade e apoio mútuo proporcionando o sentimento de proximidade mesmo sem o convívio frequente. A fratria nesta família desempenha uma função de rede de apoio, solidariedade e amizade. A nitidez das fronteiras estabelecidas entre família de origem e família nuclear foi um aspecto fundamental para a conjugalidade e parentalidade funcional. Outro fator importante foi a mediação dos pais na relação dos filhos na infância. Essa mediação proporcionou que os filhos desenvolvessem recursos para resolução de conflitos, facilitando a construção da boa comunicação entre os irmãos e o respeito às diferenças entre eles

Three empirical studies comprising this dissertation were carried out to provide a more comprehensive understanding of concurrent measures of both predictors and outcomes of young adolescents' sibling interactions. The participants included older siblings (M age = 14.3), younger siblings (M age = 11.6), and their mothers from approximately 450 families who completed web-based surveys.Study one examined correlates of overt and relational aggression between young adolescent siblings. Family environment emerged as an important factor in explaining internalizing problems as well as overt/relational aggression for both younger and older siblings. Findings also provided partial support for the positive linkages between young adolescents' aggression and their own and siblings' internalizing problems above and beyond family and maternal variables. The main purpose of the study two was to investigate self-criticism as a potential mediating factor in the link between mother-child relationships and aggression or perceptions of social competence. Maternal self-criticism strongly corresponded to the quality of relationships with children, and an intergenerational similarity of self-criticism, particularly for older children, was found. Mother-child relationships and adolescent self-criticism were significantly related to aggression and perceptions of social competence. In addition, the link between mother-child relationships and aggression or social competence is mediated, in part, by self-criticism in adolescents. Using social control theory and attachment theory as guides, study three examined how qualities of young adolescents' social relationships (i.e., mother, sibling, and friend), and dynamic interactions among characteristics of those relationships, are associated with school involvement and delinquency. Results were largely consistent with tenets of social control theory and attachment theory. Young adolescents' social relationships were associated with their adjustment in ways that are protective or beneficial. Furthermore, these social affordances worked additively and in compensatory ways to promote positive adjustment. Positive relationship qualities tended to amplify other relational influences promoting successful development, and these findings were invariant across gender.While optimal mother-child relationships are central in nurturing the child's capacity to develop warm and harmonious sibling relationships in both a direct and an indirect manner, there is a considerable contribution of siblings to adjustment and socialization above and beyond the effects of mother-child relationships.