An observational investigation of sibling interactions in married and divorced families.

Examined differences in sibling relations in divorced and married families and the extent to which sibling relationship quality is associated with the quality of spousal/ex-spousal, mother–child, and father–child relations. Observed 96 sibling dyads, 48 from mother-custody divorced families and 48 from biological two-parent families while playing a popular board game. Mothers completed a battery of questionnaires assessing the quality of other dyadic relationships within the family and family functioning. Results revealed that dyads from divorced families containing an older male were more negative, more resistant, and less compliant than older female dyads from divorced families or older male dyads from married families, with the older children more negative than their younger siblings, especially when interacting with their younger sisters. Quality of sibling interactions was found to be related to the quality of other dyadic relations within the family and overall family functioning. Quality of spousal/ex-spousal relationships contributed more than marital status of the parents in predicting whether siblings were negative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sibling relationship, family, and genetic factors in sibling similarity in sexual risk.

Siblings’ risky attitudes toward sex and pregnancy and risky sexual behavior were studied in 1583 dyads from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We tested moderators of the links between 2 siblings’ reports of sexual risk as well as mediators of the links between siblings’ genetic similarity and similarity in their sexual risk. Siblings’ sexual risk reports were correlated, and consistent with social learning predictions, associations were stronger between siblings with close relationships and in same-gender dyads and, to a lesser extent, between more genetically similar siblings and those closer in age. Consistent with behavior genetics’ hypotheses about gene–environment correlations, similarity in family warmth and sibling relationship closeness mediated associations between siblings’ genetic similarity and similarity in their sexual risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between parental anger and behavior problems in children and adolescents.

Two studies examined the relationship between parental trait anger, parental symptomatology, and children's and adolescents' emotional/behavioral problems. Results of Study 1 suggested that parental trait anger did not serve as a mediator between parental symptoms and children's emotional/behavioral problems. Study 2, however, suggested that parental trait anger did serve as a mediator between parental depression and adolescents' emotional/behavioral problems. For internalizing behaviors, inward anger expression and trait anger were mediators in father–son dyads, and outward anger expression was a mediator in mother–daughter dyads. For externalizing behavior, inward anger expression was a mediator in father–son dyads, and outward anger expression was a mediator in mother–son dyads. These results suggest the importance of examining parental dispositions toward anger in relation to the psychological symptoms family members may experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More "touching" observations: New insights on men, women, and interpersonal touch.

To describe sex differences in interpersonal touch, observation was made of 4,500 dyads in their teens and older in public places. The principal analyses addressed the issue of asymmetry in the initiation of touch in mixed sex dyads. Over all ages and initiating body parts, males touched females (MF touch) with the same frequency that females touched males (FM touch). However, among younger dyads, MF touch prevailed, whereas the reverse was true for older dyads. Though there was a tendency for MF touch with the hand to exceed FM touch with the hand, significant sex differences appeared only for "arm around," in which MF touch prevailed, and "arms linked," in which FM touch was more common. Analyses also addressed main effects of toucher sex and recipient sex, male–male vs female–female touch, and same- vs opposite-sex touch. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preschool children's interactions with friends and older siblings: relationship specificity and joint contributions to problem behavior.

The primary aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which friend and sibling relationship quality jointly contribute to children's behavioral adjustment. Preschool-aged children (N=52) were observed separately with a friend and an older sibling during a free-play session and a sharing task. Mean comparisons indicated that friendship dyads, on average, engaged in more complex social play and more intense conflict (but only during free play), whereas sibling dyads were characterized by greater asymmetry. Few friend-sibling associations emerged. Friend and sibling relationship quality in the sharing task together accounted for a significant portion of variance in parent-reported aggressive-disruptive behavior, and a Sibling × Friend interaction indicated that greater relationship quality with one partner buffered children from poor behavioral adjustment when relationship quality with the other partner was low or moderate. Implications for preventive intervention efforts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer relationships and preadolescents' perceptions of security in the child-mother relationship.

In 2 studies, peer relationships were related to children's perceptions of security in the child-mother relationship. In Study 1, a sample of 74 5th graders, children who viewed their relationship with their mother as more secure were significantly more accepted by peers, had more reciprocated friendships, and were less lonely than children who rated the relationship as less secure. In Study 2, a sample of 5th and 6th graders, 44 same-gender friend pairs were videotaped in conversation and completed friendship questionnaires. Dyads in which both children were securely attached to their mothers were more responsive, were less critical, and reported more companionship than did friend dyads in which one child was securely and the other insecurely attached to his or her mother. The findings demonstrate links between the peer and family systems in middle childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Political violence and child adjustment in Northern Ireland: Testing pathways in a social–ecological model including single-and two-parent families.

Moving beyond simply documenting that political violence negatively impacts children, we tested a social–ecological hypothesis for relations between political violence and child outcomes. Participants were 700 mother–child (M = 12.1 years, SD = 1.8) dyads from 18 working-class, socially deprived areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland, including single- and two-parent families. Sectarian community violence was associated with elevated family conflict and children's reduced security about multiple aspects of their social environment (i.e., family, parent–child relations, and community), with links to child adjustment problems and reductions in prosocial behavior. By comparison, and consistent with expectations, links with negative family processes, child regulatory problems, and child outcomes were less consistent for nonsectarian community violence. Support was found for a social–ecological model for relations between political violence and child outcomes among both single- and two-parent families, with evidence that emotional security and adjustment problems were more negatively affected in single-parent families. The implications for understanding social ecologies of political violence and children's functioning are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family rituals in New Zealand families: Links to family cohesion and adolescents' well-being.

This research examined the longitudinal links between perceptions of family rituals, family cohesion, and adolescents' well-being in 713 adolescent–parent/caregiver dyads in New Zealand. Parents (86% mothers) assessed family ritual meaning and family cohesion, and adolescents (10 to 16 years old at Time 1) reported on family cohesion and well-being at two times of measurement with a 1-year interval. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess stability coefficients, cross-lagged effects, and to test a multistep mediation model. Results showed longitudinal bidirectional effects between perceptions of family ritual meaning and family cohesion (for parents), and between perceptions of family cohesion from parents/caregivers and adolescents. In addition, family ritual meaning was found to be linked to adolescents' well-being indirectly via parents' and adolescents' family cohesion. Results support and expand previous research on the direct and indirect effects of family rituals in family and individual positive outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family ecology and drug consumption by the elderly: a commentary on an important factor ignored in research and prevention programs

A litterature review from 1986 to 1996 on medication use by older persons confirms previous conclusions on studies up to 1986 (Mishara and McKim, 1989): there is little empirical research on the role of family members in patterns of medication use by elders. This article briefly summarizes studies of factors related to medication use and prevention programs aimed at reducing problems related to compliance and drug adverse reactions in older persons. We propose a conceptual model of the role of the family as a component of resiliency of elders and we suggest that family members be included in strategies for preventing the risks related to inappropriate use of medicines.     

Dyadic drumming across the lifespan reveals a zone of proximal development in children.

Many social interactions require the synchronization—be it automatically or intentionally—of one's own behavior with that of others. Using a dyadic drumming paradigm, the authors delineate lifespan differences in interpersonal action synchronization (IAS). Younger children, older children, younger adults, and older adults in same- and mixed-age dyads were instructed to drum in synchrony with their interaction partner at a constant, self-chosen tempo. Adult-only dyads showed the highest and children-only the lowest levels of IAS accuracy. It is important to note that children improved reliably in IAS accuracy when paired with older partners. The observed age-related differences in IAS accuracy remained reliable after statistically controlling for individual differences in the ability to synchronize to a metronome and for between-dyad differences in tempo. The authors conclude that IAS improves from middle childhood to adulthood and that adult interaction partners may facilitate its development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral vs drug treatment for urge urinary incontinence in older women: a randomized controlled trial

CONTEXT: Urinary incontinence is a common condition caused by many factors with several treatment options. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of biofeedback-assisted behavioral treatment with drug treatment and a placebo control condition for the treatment of urge and mixed urinary incontinence in older community-dwelling women. DESIGN: Randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted from 1989 to 1995. SETTING: University-based outpatient geriatric medicine clinic. PATIENTS: A volunteer sample of 197 women aged 55 to 92 years with urge urinary incontinence or mixed incontinence with urge as the predominant pattern. Subjects had to have urodynamic evidence of bladder dysfunction, be ambulatory, and not have dementia. INTERVENTION: Subjects were randomized to 4 sessions (8 weeks) of biofeedback-assisted behavioral treatment, drug treatment (with oxybutynin chloride, possible range of doses, 2.5 mg daily to 5.0 mg 3 times daily), or a placebo control condition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reduction in the frequency of incontinent episodes as determined by bladder diaries, and patients' perceptions of improvement and their comfort and satisfaction with treatment. RESULTS: For all 3 treatment groups, reduction of incontinence was most pronounced early in treatment and progressed more gradually thereafter. Behavioral treatment, which yielded a mean 80.7% reduction of incontinence episodes, was significantly more effective than drug treatment (mean 68.5% reduction; P=.04) and both were more effective than the placebo control condition (mean 39.4% reduction; P<.001 and P=.009, respectively). Patient-perceived improvement was greatest for behavioral treatment (74.1% "much better" vs 50.9% and 26.9% for drug treatment and placebo, respectively). Only 14.0% of patients receiving behavioral treatment wanted to change to another treatment vs 75.5% in each of the other groups. CONCLUSION: Behavioral treatment is a safe and effective conservative intervention that should be made more readily available to patients as a first-line treatment for urge and mixed incontinence.     

Longitudinal links between older sibling features and younger siblings' academic adjustment during early adolescence.

This study investigated prospective relations between older siblings' support and academic engagement and younger siblings' academic adjustment from 7th to post-8th grade. The study was unique in that it incorporated a sample of both African American and European American adolescents. Also investigated was the extent to which the gender constellation (same sex vs. mixed sex) of sibling dyads moderated prospective associations. Findings revealed that, in mixed-sex dyads only, younger siblings' perceptions of support received from the older sibling and their positive image of the older sibling predicted declines in the younger siblings' academic self-perceptions and performance over time, even after controlling for younger siblings' background characteristics and support from parents. Older siblings' reported support to younger siblings also predicted declines in younger siblings' academic adjustment, whereas the older siblings' own level of academic engagement predicted an increase in younger siblings' academic adjustment over time. Overall, findings did not differ substantially for African and European American adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of the presence of a third person on the physician-older patient medical interview

OBJECTIVE: To compare communication in triadic (three-person) and dyadic (two-person) older patient medical interviews and to determine the influence of the presence of a third person on the physician-older patient relationship. DESIGN: Matched sample of dyadic and triadic audiotaped outpatient medical visits. Audiotapes were coded with the Multi-dimensional Interaction Analysis (MDIA) system. SETTING: Hospital-based medical primary care group practice in a major urban teaching institution. PARTICIPANTS: Patients 60 years and older who were making their first visit to study physicians. In a sample of 96 audiotaped initial medical visits, 15 encounters involved three persons. These 15 cases were matched with 15 dyadic interviews for gender and race of the patient and for gender and race of the physician. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Content, interactional processes, and specific language and communication behaviors of older patients, physicians, and third persons in the medical encounter, as measured by the MDIA system. RESULTS: The specific content and the quality of interactional processes of physicians were not affected by the presence of a third person. However, older patients raised fewer topics in all content areas (medical, personal habits, psychosocial, and physician-patient relationship) in triads than in dyads. Overall, patients were less responsive (ie, the quality of their questioning, informing, and supportiveness was poorer) on patient-raised topics in triads than in dyads. Patients were rated as less assertive and expressive, and there was less joint decision-making and shared laughter in triads than in dyads. Patients were frequently excluded from conversations in visits in which a third person was present. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a third person in the medical encounter changes the interactional dynamics of older patient medical interviews and may influence the development of a trusting and effective physician-older patient relationship.     

A Social Relations Model analysis of parent and child play.

Introduces the Social Relations Model (Kenny & LaVoie, 1984) as a new approach for understanding reciprocity during parent–child and sibling play. 32 12-month-old infants and their 3- to 4-year-old siblings were videotaped during separate dyadic sessions in a laboratory playroom with their mothers, their fathers, and each other. Each partner's play was coded using a detailed classification system consisting of six discrete play behaviors. Multivariate analyses indicated that mother–child dyads engaged in more instructive play than father–child dyads, although both parents demonstrated age-appropriate adjustments in their play with their two children. Infants and preschoolers engaged in more elaborate types of play with their parents than with their less socially competent siblings. Social Relations Model analyses revealed that the unique adjustments that family members made to one another outweighed family members' general tendencies to behave in particular ways and the partners' tendencies to elicit particular behaviors from family members. Furthermore, these analyses suggested that parents may be primarily responsible for much of the structuring occurring in children's early social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Power and conflict resolution in sibling, parent–child, and spousal negotiations.

This study used a within-family observational design to examine conflict strategies (planning, opposition) and resolutions (standoff, win-loss, compromise) across family subsystems, with an emphasis on power differences between parents and children during relatively symmetrical within-generation (spousal, sibling) and relatively asymmetrical between-generation (parent–child) dyadic interactions. Up to six dyads in 67 families (children's ages ranging from 3 to 12 years) discussed an unresolved conflict. Results revealed that within-generation discussions ended more in standoff, whereas between-generation discussions ended with more win-loss resolutions. Multilevel analyses indicated that parents engaged in more planning and opposition than children; however, they opposed more and planned less with their spouses than their children. In general, more planning and less opposition were associated with achieving resolutions rather than failing to resolve differences. Some effects were qualified by within-family differences between mothers versus fathers and older versus younger siblings, as well as between-family differences in younger siblings' age. Implications for theories of power and family relationship dynamics are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactional correlates of premature termination.

Examined the relation of premature termination (PT) from individual psychotherapy to topic determination (TD), which was defined as the proportion of the topic initiations subsequently followed by the other participant, in 2 studies. It was hypothesized that those therapist–client dyads that terminated prematurely would evidence lower degrees of topic determination in the early sessions than continuing dyads. Study 1 compared 4 continuing dyads (2 successful and 2 unsuccessful) and 2 PT dyads. All dyads involved nonpsychotic female clients (mean age 22 yrs) seen at a university counseling center using a time-limited therapy format. The PT dyads had lower levels of TD than the continuing dyads. Specific threshold levels of TD were associated with client failure to return. Study 2 examined 12 dyads that included male and female clients (mean age 22 yrs) of average disturbance (based on psychiatric outpatient norms). Results confirm the PT–TD relation and the TD threshold found in Study 1. For the continuing dyads, low TD values were also found to be associated with client "no-shows" but not cancelled sessions. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent and child expressed affect and children's social competence: Modeling direct and indirect pathways.

This study examined links between parents' and children's expressed affect during parent–child play and children's social functioning with peers. A total of 116 kindergarten-age children and their parents (114 mothers, 102 fathers) were observed during physical play interactions and were coded on global measures of expressed positive and negative affect. Kindergarten and 1st-grade teachers and peers provided measures of social competence. Latent variable path analysis with partial least squares was used to examine models that included "direct" and "indirect" pathways. Relations between parental positive affect and children's social competence were mediated by children's expressed positive affect. Parental negative affect was associated with negative social outcomes in children; however, these relations were not mediated by children's negative expressions. The strongest support for the hypothesized models was found in same-sex dyads. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of school engagement during adolescence: Implications for grades, depression, delinquency, and substance use.

Using longitudinal data from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, the authors assessed 1,977 adolescents across Grades 5 to 8 to determine if there were distinctive developmental paths for behavioral and emotional school engagement; if these paths varied in relation to sex, race/ethnicity, and family socioeconomic status (SES); and whether links existed between trajectories of school engagement and grades, depression, substance use, and delinquency. Four trajectories for behavioral school engagement and four trajectories of emotional engagement were identified using a semiparametric mixture model. These trajectories were distinct with regard to initial levels of and changes in engagement, as well as to their shapes. Trajectories varied in regard to sex, SES, and race/ethnicity. Different trajectories of behavioral and emotional engagement were linked to grades, depression, delinquency, and substance use. Directions for future research and application are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Like mother, like daughter: Similarities in narrative style.

Children (2-5-year-olds and 8-13-year-olds) and their parents were independently interviewed about highly salient events: injuries serious enough to necessitate hospital emergency room treatment. Free recall narratives were scored using 14 measures of length, elaborative detail, cohesion, coherence, and provision of context. Mothers' narratives were more cohesive and coherent than fathers', and girls' narratives differed from boys' in parallel ways. Parent and child measures were correlated, and narratives of mother-daughter dyads (for the older daughters) showed striking similarity in all 5 properties, whereas there was no narrative similarity within father-son, mother-son, or father-daughter dyads. This suggests a special status for mother-daughter dyads in terms of how events come to be linguistically represented in narrative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)