Longitudinal associations between sibling relationship quality and child adjustment after divorce

Objective This study examined the interplay between the parent–child and sibling relationships in their associations with child adjustment after divorce, in order to understand the postdivorce impact of the sibling relationship more thoroughly. Background The sibling relationship is unique in its li...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 2022-04, Vol.84 (2), p.393-414
Main Authors: Dijk, Rianne, Valk, Inge E., Buist, Kirsten L., Branje, Susan, Deković, Maja
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment
Adversity
child well‐being
Children
Conflict
Divorce
Externalizing problems
Families & family life
family dynamics
Fathers
Internalization
Internalizing disorders
Interpersonal conflict
Interpersonal relations
Longitudinal Studies
Mothers
Parent Child Relationship
Parent-child relations
Parents & parenting
parent–child relationships
Quality
Self esteem
Sibling Relationship
Siblings
System theory
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective This study examined the interplay between the parent–child and sibling relationships in their associations with child adjustment after divorce, in order to understand the postdivorce impact of the sibling relationship more thoroughly. Background The sibling relationship is unique in its lifetime duration and frequent interactions, and is associated with child adjustment in intact families. Research on the sibling relationship in divorced families is warranted, as it is one of the few stable factors in children's lives shortly after divorce. Method To examine direct and moderating effects of the sibling relationship, data from N = 117 children (Mage = 12.85) of 65 families and their recently divorced parents (60 mothers, 45 fathers) were used. Longitudinal associations of sibling support, sibling conflict, parent–child relationship quality, and their interactions with child adjustment were estimated with generalized estimating equations. Results The sibling relationship was related to children's (relative change in) externalizing problems and self‐esteem over time, but not to internalizing problems. Especially high sibling support was found beneficial and buffered the adversity of sibling conflict regarding children's self‐esteem. There was no substantial evidence that siblings moderated parent–child relationship quality. Conclusions In the context of divorce and adequate parent–child relationship quality, the sibling relationship seems to be complementary rather than compensatory to that of parents. Given the role of siblings in externalizing behaviors and self‐esteem, potential benefits of targeting the sibling relationship in (preventive) interventions aimed at divorced families should be explored.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.1111/jomf.12808