Articlehybrid2024

Exploring Family Obligation as a Buffer Between Parental Differential Treatment and Sibling Hostility

Lucy S. McClellan · Cassidy M. Fry · Eva H. Telzer · Christy R. Rogers

8 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Child and Family Studies

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Family Dynamics and Relationships Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Abstract

Abstract High levels of between-sibling parental differential treatment (PDT) have been associated with several negative outomes, including externalizing behavior, emotional maladjustment, and depressive symptoms, as well as with hostility in sibling relationships. In contrast, high levels of family obligation have been associated with positive adolescent adjustment and family dynamics. Given the substantial risks associated with PDT and the benefits of family obligation for emotional health and family relations, we investigated family obligation as a potential buffer against the negative effects of PDT on sibling relationships. We hypothesized that 1) younger and older siblings experiencing higher levels of PDT would demonstrate greater sibling hostility, and 2) family obligation would buffer against these associations. Adolescent younger siblings (Mage = 12.1; 24 females) and their adolescent older siblings (Mage = 14.5; 21 females) participated in a collaborative problem-solving task, which was coded for directional expressions of hostility. Siblings also independently completed questionnaires on PDT and family obligation. Greater PDT was associated with more hostility expressed from younger sibling to older sibling, and a greater sense of family obligation buffered against this association. Greater PDT was also associated with increased hostility from older sibling to younger sibling, but no significant interaction effect was found with family obligation. Findings highlight the potential of family obligation to improve sibling relationships in the context of PDT and can inform future sibling research and family intervention work; the import of these findings is limited due to the homogeneous nature of the sample and we recommend inclusion of more diverse populations.

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1987The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence 1997FAMILIES AS SYSTEMS 2012Sibling Relationships and Influences in Childhood and Adolescence 2002Family obligation and the transition to young adulthood.1997Children's Understanding of Parental Differential Treatment 2007Longitudinal linkages between sibling relationships and adjustment from middle childhood through adolescence.1997Perceptions of interdependence and closeness in family and peer relationships among adolescents with and without romantic partners 1992Young, middle, and late adolescents' comparisons of the functional importance of five significant relationships

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