Parental conflict and its association with sibling relationships

Year 2015, Volume: 1 Issue: 3, 67 - 81, 24.12.2015

Esra İşmen Gazioğlu Ayşegül Kılıçaslan Çelikkol

Abstract

The association between parental conflict and children’s adjustment has long been of interest of both developmental and clinical psychologists. From a family systems perspective, the parental subsystem is very important for family functioning. Conflict in the subsystem has a negative influence on the functioning of other family subsystems such as the sibling subsystem. The aims of the present study are: (1) to investigate the correlation between sibling relationships and interparental conflict. (2) to compare perception of parental conflict of only children and the ones who have only one older sibling (3) to examine the gender differences in parental conflict and sibling relationships. Participants were selected by considering three inclusion criteria: (a) being 10 years old (b) being only child or having one older sibling and (c) having an intake family. Sample consisted of 106 students, attending public and private schools who met the inclusion criteria. “Sibling Relationship Questionnaire” and “Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale” were administrated respectively. ANOVA and Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient Techniques were used to analyse the data. The results of the study indicated that, only children perceived more interparental conflict than children with an elder sibling.

Keywords

Sibling relationships, interparental conflict, only child

References

• Abramovitch, R., Corter, C., Pepler, D. J., & Stanhope, L. (1986). Sibling and peer interaction: A final follow-up and a comparison. Child development, 57, 217-229.
• Apalaçi, V., (1996). Psychological adjusment and sibling relationships of older brother and sister of children with pervasive developmental disorders (Unpublished master thesis). Bogazici University, İstanbul.
• Azmitia, M., & Brown, J. R. (2002). Latino immigrant parents’ beliefs about the “path of life” of their adolescent children (pp. 77-106). In. Contreras, J. M., Kerns, K. A., & Neal-Barnett, A. M. Latino children and families in the United States. New York, NY. Greenwood.
• Berçin Yıldırım, G. (2005). Farklı Engel Grubundan Engelli Kardeşe Sahip Çocukların Kardeş İlişkileri İle Kardeşlerini Kabullenmeleri Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi (Unpublished master thesis). Gazi University, Ankara.
• Block , J.H., Block, J., & Morrison, A. (1981). Parental agreement – disagreement on childrearing orientations and gender – related personality correlates in children. Child Development, 52, 965-974.
• Branje, S. J., Van Lieshout, C. F., Van Aken, M. A., & Haselager, G. J. (2004). Perceived support in sibling relationships and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(8), 1385-1396.
• Brody, G. H., Stoneman, Z. & McCoy, J.K. (1992). Associations of maternal and paternal direct and differential behavior with sibling relationships: Contemporaneous and longitudinal analyses. Child Development, 67, 1289-1300.
• Caya, M. L., & Liem, J. H. (1998). The role of sibling support in high-conflict families. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68(2), 327. Cicirelli, V. G. (1982). Sibling influence throughout the lifespan (pp.267-284). In. Lamb,
• M. E., Sutton-Smith, B. Sibling relationships: Their nature and significance across the lifespan, New York, NY, Taylor & Francis.
• Cicirelli, V. G. (1996). Sibling relationships in middle and old age. Ablex Publishing. Cummings, S., Pellegrini, S., Notarius, I., &
• Cummings, E. (1989). Children’s responses to angry adult behavior as a function of parental distress and history of interparent hostility. Child Development, 60, 1035-1043.
• Cummings, E. M. (1987). Coping with background anger in early childhood. Child Development, 58, 976–984.
• Cummings, E., Zahn-Waxler, C., & Radke-Yarrow, M. (1981). Young children’s responses to expressions of anger and affection by others in the family. Child Development,52, 1274-1282. Emery, R.E. & O’Leary, K.D. (1984). Parental discord and child behavior problems in a nonclinic sample. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12 (3), 411-420..
• Eno, M. M. (1985). Sibling relationships in families of divorce. Journal of Psychotherapy & the Family, 1(3), 139-156.
• Erel, O., Margolin, G., & John, R. S. (1998). Observed sibling interaction: Links with the marital and the mother–child relationship. Developmental Psychology,34(2), 288.
• Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1985). Children’s perceptions of the qualities of sibling relationships. Child Development, 56, 448-462.
• Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1985). Children’s perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. Developmental Psychology, 21, 1016–1024.
• Furman, W., & Giberson, R. S. (1995). Identifying the links between parents and their children’s sibling relationships. Close relationships and socioemotional development, 7, 95-108.
• Gass, K., Jenkins, J., & Dunn, J. (2007). Are sibling relationships protective? A longitudinal study. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 48(2), 167-175.
• Grych, J., & Fincham, F. (1990). Parental conflict and children’s adjusment: A cognitivecontextual framework. Psychological Bulletin, 108(2), 27-290.
• Grych, J., Seid, M., & Fincham, F. (1992). Assessing parental conflict from the child’s perspective: The children’s perception of interparental conflict scale, Child Development,63, 558-572.
• Harris, I.D. & Howard, I.K. (1983). Correlates of perceived parental favoritism. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 146, 45-46. Hetherington, E. M. (1988). Parents, children, and siblings: Six years after divorce (pp. 311-331). In R.H. Hinde & J. Stevenson-Hinde (Eds.). Relationships within families: Mutual influences, Oxford University Press.
• Holden, G. W., Ritchie, K.L. (1991). Linking extreme parental discord, child rearing and child behavior problems: Evidence from battered women. Child Development, 62. 311-327. Jenkins, J. (1992). Sibling relationships in disharmonious homes: potential difficulties and protective effects (pp. 125-138). In. F. Boer, J. Dunn (Eds.). Children’s sibling relationships: Developmental and clinical issues, Hillsdale, NJ, England: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Jouriles, E. N., Bourg, W.J. & Farris, A.M. (1991). Parental adjusment and child conduct problems: A Comparison of the correlation across subsamples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59 (2), 354-357.
• Jouriles, E.N., Murpy, C.M., Farris, A. M., Smith, D.A., Richters, J.E. & Waters, E. (1991). Parental adjusment, parental disagreements about child rearing and behavior problems in boys: Increasing the specificity of the parental assessment. Child Development, 62,1424-1433.
• Kağıtçıbaşı, Ç. (1982). İnsan Aile Kültür [Human Family Culture]. İstanbul: Remzi.
• Kempton, T., Armistead, L., Wierson, M., & Forehand, R. (1991). Presence of a sibling as a potential buffer following parental divorce: An examination of young adolescents. Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology, 20(4), 434-438.
• Kılıçaslan, A. (2001). Aile fonksiyonlarının ve algılanan farklılaşmış anne-baba yaklaşımının kardeş ilişkileri üzerindeki etkisi (Unpublished master thesis). İstanbul University, İstanbul.
• Kier, C., & Lewis, C. (1998). Preschool sibling interaction in separated and married families: Are same-sex pairs or older sisters more sociable?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39(02), 191-201.
• Kowal, A. & Kramer, L. (1997). Children’s understanding of parental differential treatment. Child Development, 68, 113-126.
• Köse, F. (2003). K. K. T. C. Lefkoşa ilçesinde ilköğretim okullarına devam eden 9 yaş çocuklarının anne tutumları ile kardeş ilişkileri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi (Unpublished master thesis). Gazi University, Ankara.
• Kramer, L., & Kowal, A. (2005). Sibling relationship quality from birth to adolescence: The enduring contributions of friends. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 503–511.
• Lempers, J.D., & Clark-Lempers, D.S. (1992). Young, middle, and late adolescents’ comparisons of the functional importance of five significant relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 21, 53–96.
• Long, N., Slater, E., Forehand, R. & Fauber, R. (1988). Continued high or reduced interparental conflict following divorce: Relation to young adolescent adjusment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,56(3), 467-469.
• Martin, J., & Ross, H. (2005). Sibling aggression: Sex differences and parents’ reactions. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29(2), 129-138.
• McElwain, N. L., & Volling, B. L. (2005). Preschool children’s interactions with friends and older siblings: relationship specificity and joint contributions to problem behavior. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 486–496.
• Minnett, A. M., Vandell, D. L., & Santrock, J. W. (1983). The effects of sibling status on sibling interaction: Influence of birth order, age spacing, sex of child, and sex of sibling. Child Development, 54, 1064-1072.
• Minuchin, P. (1985). Families and individual development: Provocations from the field of family therapy. Child Development, 56, 289-302.
• Navaro, L. (1993). Bağlılık ve bağımlılık: Kadının bağılığı nasıl bağımlılığa dönüşür?. Kadın Araştırmaları Dergisi, 1, 88-89.
• Noller, P., Feeney, J. A., Peterson, C., & Sheehan, G. (2013). Learning conflict patterns in the family: Links between marital, parental, and sibling relationships (pp.273-298). In. T. J., Socha, & G. H., Stamp. Parents, children and communication: Frontiers of theory and research, New York, NY. Routledge.
• Öz, İ. P. (1999). The relationship between children’s adjusment problems and their perceptions of parental conflict (Unpublished master thesis). The Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
• Porter, B., & O’Leary, K. (1980). Parental Discord and childhood behavior problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 80, 287-295.
• Profeta, Y. (2002). Çocuğun davranış problemleri ile ebeveyn çatışmasını algılayışı arasındaki ilişki (Unpublished master thesis). İstanbul University, İstanbul.
• Sandler, I. N., Miller, P., Short, J., & Wolchik, S. A. (1989). Social support as a protective factor for children in stress (pp. 277-307). In. Belle, D. Children’s social networks and social supports, New York, NY, John Wiley & Sons.
• Scholte, R.H.J., van Lieshout, C.F.M., & van Aken, M.A.G. (2001). Perceived relational support in adolescence: Dimensions, configurations, and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11, 71–94
• Sheehan, G., Darlington, Y., Noller, P., & Feeney, J. (2004). Children’s perceptions of their sibling relationships during parental separation and divorce. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 41(1-2), 69-94.
• Shifflett–Simpson , K., Cummings, E.M. (1996). Mixed message resolution children’s responses to interadult conflict. Child Development. 67, 437-448.
• Stauffacher, K., & DeHart, G. B. (2006). Crossing social contexts: Relational aggression between siblings and friends during early and middle childhood. Applied Developmental Psychology, 27, 228–240
• Stocker, C., Ahmed, K., & Stall, M. (1997). Marital satisfaction and maternal emotionalexpressiveness: Links with children’s sibling relationships. Social Development, 6(3), 373-385.
• Stocker, C., Burwell, R. A.,&Briggs, M. L. (2002). Sibling conflict in middle childhood predicts children’s adjusment in early adolescence. Journal of Family Psychology, 16(1), 50-57.
• Stocker, C. M., & Youngblade, L. (1999). Marital conflict and parental hostility: Links with children’s sibling and peer relationships. Journal of Family Psychology, 13(4),598.
• Topaloğlu, G. (2011). Otizmli çocukların kardeş ilişkisinde annenin rolü (Unpublished master thesis). Marmara University, İstanbul. Updegraff, K. A., McHaleS. M., Whiteman, S. D., Thayer, S. M., & Delgato, M. Y. (2008). Adolescent sibling relationships in Mexican American families: Exploring the role of familism. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(4), 512-522. Valenzuela, A. (1999). Gender roles and settlement activities among children and their immigrant families. American Behavioral Scientist, 42(4), 720-742.