Family Relationships and Youth Sport: Influence of Siblings and Parents on Youth's Participation, Interests, and Skills

Taking a family systems perspective, the present study investigated how older siblings’ and parents’ (mothers’ and fathers’) interests, skills, and participation in sports predicted younger siblings’ attitudes and behaviors in those same domains. Testing social learning principles, we further examined whether family members’ influence was stronger when they shared warmer relationships and siblings shared the same gender. Participants included mothers, fathers, and adolescent-aged first and second-born siblings from 197 maritally intact families. Families participated in home interviews as well as a series of 7 nightly phone calls during which participants reported on their daily activities. Across dependent variables, results revealed that parents’ and (with one exception) older siblings’ qualities were predictive of younger siblings’ interests, skills, and participation in sports. Inconsistent with hypotheses, however, family members’ influence was not moderated by relational warmth. Discussion highlights the need to examine the socialization processes by which siblings shape each other’s sport-related attitudes and activities

Associations Between Perceptions About Siblings\u27 Development and Emerging Adults\u27 Adulthood Attainment

Siblings shape each other\u27s attitudes and behaviors during childhood and adolescence; however, it is less clear if siblings continue to influence each other in emerging adulthood. This study investigated the extent to which emerging adults modeled their siblings in domains of adulthood attainment. Participants included 1,750 emerging adults from the United States between the ages of 18 and 29 years. Data were collected via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Findings showed that perceptions of siblings\u27 adulthood attainment were positively related to emerging adults\u27 development in those same domains. Moreover, the extent to which emerging adults modeled their siblings enhanced these associations; neither birth order nor gender composition moderated these findings. In short, processes of sibling influence continue to be relevant in emerging adulthood

Romantic Relationship Experiences from Late Adolescence to Young Adulthood: The Role of Older Siblings in Mexican-Origin Families

Youth\u27s experiences with romantic relationships during adolescence and young adulthood have far reaching implications for future relationships, health, and well-being; yet, although scholars have examined potential peer and parent influences, we know little about the role of siblings in youth\u27s romantic relationships. Accordingly, this study examined the prospective longitudinal links between Mexican-origin older and younger siblings\u27 romantic relationship experiences and variation by sibling structural and relationship characteristics (i.e., sibling age and gender similarity, younger siblings\u27 modeling) and cultural values (i.e., younger siblings\u27 familism values). Data from 246 Mexican-origin families with older (M = 20.65 years; SD = 1.57; 50% female) and younger (M = 17.72 years; SD = .57; 51% female) siblings were used to examine the likelihood of younger siblings\u27 involvement in dating relationships, sexual relations, cohabitation, and engagement/marriage with probit path analyses. Findings revealed older siblings\u27 reports of involvement in a dating relationship, cohabitation, and engagement/marriage predicted younger siblings\u27 relationship experiences over a two-year period. These links were moderated by sibling age spacing, younger siblings\u27 reports of modeling and familism values. Our findings suggest the significance of social learning dynamics as well as relational and cultural contexts in understanding the links between older and younger siblings\u27 romantic relationship experiences among Mexican-origin youth

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Jealousy Links Comparisons With Siblings to Adjustment Among Emerging Adults

Objective To explore the correlates and implications of sibling jealousy during emerging adulthood. Background Rooted in research and theory on parental differential treatment (PDT) and social comparisons, we expected that more frequent social comparisons between siblings—specifically, PDT as well as upward comparisons ( my sibling is better off than I am ) and downward comparisons ( I am better off than my sibling )—are positively linked to sibling jealousy, which, in turn, is positively related individual and relational maladjustment. Method Participants included 454 young adults (M = 22.44, SD = 1.50 years of age) who participated in Internet-based surveys recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results Social comparisons between siblings generally predicted feelings of sibling jealousy, which, in turn, were positively related to young adults\u27 depressive symptoms and sibling conflict. Although PDT was salient in the lives of these emerging adults, siblings\u27 other social comparisons were more strongly linked to their internalizing symptoms and sibling relationship qualities. Conclusion These findings fill a gap in knowledge about the nature and implications of sibling relationships during emerging adulthood and clarify the links between young adults\u27 cognitions (PDT, social comparisons), affective states (jealousy), and behaviors (depressive symptoms, sibling relationship qualities). Implications Sibling relationships should be reflected on more broadly across the life course because family and sibling processes permeate the lives of individuals well after moving away from their family of origin. In particular, it is important for those who work with young adults, including practitioners, to consider the implications sibling relationships have for individual and relational adjustment during emerging adulthood. This includes focusing on mitigating the negative implications of sibling comparisons and sibling jealousy, which continue into emerging adulthood, and ultimately may enhance young adults\u27 emotional and behavioral well-being

Longitudinal Changes in Adolescents\u27 School Bonding During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Individual, Parenting, and Family Correlates

The current study examined changes in adolescents\u27 school bonding from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic and its individual, parenting, and family-level correlates. Participants were two adolescents (50% male; Mage = 14 years) and one parent (85% female; Mage = 45 years) from 682 families (N = 2046) from an ongoing longitudinal study. Adolescents reported on their school bonding, stress, and coping, while parents reported on their involvement in adolescents\u27 education and pandemic-related financial need. A two-wave latent change score model suggested that adolescents\u27 school bonding decreased from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress and pandemic-related financial need served as risk factors, whereas coping and parental involvement served as protective factors against declines in adolescents\u27 school bonding

“To Be, or Not to Be, That Is the Question”: Modeling and Differentiation Among Siblings Participating in Organized Youth Sport

Organized youth sport is a relatively common family context in which sibling dynamics are not well understood. The present study was designed to address two contrasting mechanisms of socialization—modeling and differentiation—in examining older siblings’ influence on younger siblings’ sport participation. American youth (N = 221) age 10–15 years (M = 12.38, SD = 1.01) who were active sport participants completed an online survey measuring individual and family demographics, sibling relationship qualities, and parent–child relationship dimensions. The participants reported on their most proximal older siblings, all of whom were within 4 years of age. The analyses suggest that sibling differentiation dynamics decreased the likelihood of playing the same primary sport as an older sibling for (a) the same biological sex, close in age to siblings; (b) the same biological sex, further in age from siblings; and (c) mixed biological sex, wide in age from siblings. The “Discussion” section highlights the practical value of understanding the impact of sibling influence processes on the individual, sibling dyad, and family system

Impact of Positive and Negative Socioemotional Behaviors on Remarital Instability

We examined the trajectories of remarried couples\u27 (N = 1161) positive and negative socioemotional behaviors, which reflect the expression of love versus hostility, in relation to remarital instability across the first 3 years of remarriage. The measures of behaviors included both self and partner reports. Guided by the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation model of marriage, we used multi-level modeling framework to test the proposed processes at between- and within-individual levels. Whereas self- and partner-reported positive behaviors predicted less remarital instability, self- and partner-reported negative behaviors predicted greater levels of remarital instability. Individual changes in self- and partner-reported positive behaviors related to less remarital instability and only changes in partner-reported negative behaviors were associated with increased remarital instability. Findings did not vary by gender or remarital profiles. The results provide support for the emergent distress model, suggesting that the path to remarital instability is rooted in gradually increasing negativity. Implications for practitioners are discussed

Can\u27t Live With or Without Them: Transitions and Young Adults\u27 Perceptions of Sibling Relationships

Extant research documents how siblings\u27 relationships develop from childhood through adolescence; yet, we know little about how sibling relationships change in young adulthood. Rooted in life course theory, this 2-wave longitudinal study investigated changes in sibling closeness and conflict, and the roles of life transitions and sibling similarity in life stage. Participants included 273 young adults from 180 families who reported on 340 sibling relationships (Time 1 M age = 24.45, SD = 5.33; Time 2 M age = 30.23, SD = 5.33). Multilevel repeated measures analysis of covariance indicated that, on average, siblings\u27 perceptions of conflict declined over the course of young adulthood. Additionally, patterns of change in closeness and conflict were linked to life transitions surrounding coresidence, parenthood, and similarity in employment. The discussion addresses findings in regard to life course theory and similarity in life transitions