Submission Type

Poster

Start Date

4-26-2023

Abstract

As part of a longitudinal study, we examined siblings’ perceptions of their relationship in adolescence and early adulthood. Twenty-five sibling dyads completed questionnaires about their relationship during adolescence and early adulthood. The adolescent questionnaire was an age-adjusted questionnaire developed for use in the study; it included five scales (Asymmetry, Intimacy, Prosocial/Harmony, Relational Aggression, and Conflict). For the early adulthood phase, we used the Adult Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (Stocker et al., 1997); it included 12 scales (Similarity, Intimacy, Quarreling, Affection, Antagonism, Admiration, Emotional Support, Competition, Instrumental Support, Domination, Acceptance, and Knowledge). Correlations among scales on the questionnaires reveal considerable coherence in the sibling relationships at both ages and some continuity between adolescence and early adulthood. On the adolescent questionnaire, siblings showed strong agreement on their ratings of the amount of prosocial behavior/harmony and conflict in their relationship. They disagreed in their ratings of the asymmetry, intimacy, and relational aggression in their relationship. In early adulthood, siblings agreed on their ratings of similarity, intimacy, quarreling, antagonism, domination, and acceptance; they differed in their ratings of affection, admiration, emotional support, competition, instrumental support, and knowledge. For both siblings at both ages, many of the positive dimensions were positively intercorrelated and the negative dimensions were positively intercorrelated. At both ages, the positive scales and the negative scales were negatively intercorrelated. The adult scales of Instrumental Support and Competition were not consistently correlated with either positive or negative dimensions; we suspect that this may suggest a difference for brothers and sisters.

Comments

Sponsored by Ganie DeHart

COinS
 
Apr 26th, 12:00 AM

311 - Sibling Dyads’ Perceptions of Their Relationship in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

As part of a longitudinal study, we examined siblings’ perceptions of their relationship in adolescence and early adulthood. Twenty-five sibling dyads completed questionnaires about their relationship during adolescence and early adulthood. The adolescent questionnaire was an age-adjusted questionnaire developed for use in the study; it included five scales (Asymmetry, Intimacy, Prosocial/Harmony, Relational Aggression, and Conflict). For the early adulthood phase, we used the Adult Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (Stocker et al., 1997); it included 12 scales (Similarity, Intimacy, Quarreling, Affection, Antagonism, Admiration, Emotional Support, Competition, Instrumental Support, Domination, Acceptance, and Knowledge). Correlations among scales on the questionnaires reveal considerable coherence in the sibling relationships at both ages and some continuity between adolescence and early adulthood. On the adolescent questionnaire, siblings showed strong agreement on their ratings of the amount of prosocial behavior/harmony and conflict in their relationship. They disagreed in their ratings of the asymmetry, intimacy, and relational aggression in their relationship. In early adulthood, siblings agreed on their ratings of similarity, intimacy, quarreling, antagonism, domination, and acceptance; they differed in their ratings of affection, admiration, emotional support, competition, instrumental support, and knowledge. For both siblings at both ages, many of the positive dimensions were positively intercorrelated and the negative dimensions were positively intercorrelated. At both ages, the positive scales and the negative scales were negatively intercorrelated. The adult scales of Instrumental Support and Competition were not consistently correlated with either positive or negative dimensions; we suspect that this may suggest a difference for brothers and sisters.

 

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