The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Aldrich, Lindsey L.
Language:English
Published: Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617280384983733
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-bgsu16172803849837332021-08-03T07:16:59Z The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood Aldrich, Lindsey L. Sociology Sibling Relationship Quality Siblings Full-siblings Half-siblings Step-siblings Family Characteristics Adolescence Young Adulthood Mental Health Self-Concept The majority of Americans have siblings, who provide one another with warmth, support, and friendship, and also serve as a source of conflict, throughout the life course. Past research shows that sibling relationship quality influences mental health and self-concept. Over the past several decades, as more parents break up and re-partner, a substantial proportion of America’s youth grow up with half-siblings or step-siblings. Limited research has examined how sibling relationship quality with half-siblings or step-siblings differs from those with full-siblings, however.Using Waves II and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, drawing from the core sample (N = 8,402) and the residential sibling pairs sample (N = 1,753), this dissertation examines the following three questions : (1) Does residential sibling relationship quality in adolescence, measured as feelings of love, fights, and time spent together, vary across full-siblings, half-siblings, and step-siblings, controlling for variation by sibling type in family characteristics, such as mother-child relationship quality, father-child relationship quality, and family belonging? (2) Does sibling relationship quality in young adulthood, measured as visits, phone calls, help-seeking, fights, and emotional closeness, vary by sibling type, controlling for sibling relationship quality during adolescence? (3) Does the association between relationship quality with residential siblings in adolescence and mental health and self-concept in young adulthood differ across the three residential sibling types?The findings suggest that among residential siblings, with the same family characteristics, relationships with step-siblings are more distant than those with full-siblings or half-siblings, while relationships with half-siblings are similar to those with full-siblings, both in adolescenceiiiand young adulthood. Emotionally close relationships and fights with siblings in adolescence are associated with better self-esteem and fewer depressive symptoms in young adulthood, with variation by sibling type in ways that are more complex than predicted based on the “stepfamily as incomplete institution” perspective. Fights indicate closer, rather than more distant, sibling relationships. Overall, the findings contribute to the existing bodies of family, sibling, and mental health research, suggesting the merit to further investigating differences in the nature of full-siblings, half-siblings, and step-siblings and their implications for individual well-being across different life stages. 2021-05-20 English text Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617280384983733 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617280384983733 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Sociology
Sibling Relationship Quality
Siblings
Full-siblings
Half-siblings
Step-siblings
Family Characteristics
Adolescence
Young Adulthood
Mental Health
Self-Concept
spellingShingle Sociology
Sibling Relationship Quality
Siblings
Full-siblings
Half-siblings
Step-siblings
Family Characteristics
Adolescence
Young Adulthood
Mental Health
Self-Concept
Aldrich, Lindsey L.
The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood
author Aldrich, Lindsey L.
author_facet Aldrich, Lindsey L.
author_sort Aldrich, Lindsey L.
title The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood
title_short The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood
title_full The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood
title_fullStr The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood
title_full_unstemmed The Association Between Sibling Type, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Mental Health from Adolescence into Young Adulthood
title_sort association between sibling type, sibling relationship quality, and mental health from adolescence into young adulthood
publisher Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2021
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617280384983733
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