Health risk behaviors of adolescent and young adult siblings.

The present study tested the effects of older siblings' outcome expectancies, health risk behaviors, and consequences on the behavior and health-related expectancies of their younger adolescent siblings. Data were analyzed for 140 matched pairs of younger (n?=?147) and older (n?=?195) siblings. Younger siblings' alcohol use and expectancies were significantly associated with perceptions of their older siblings' drinking. Younger siblings' positive expectancies for other health risk behaviors (e.g., sex without a condom) were associated with their perceptions about the positive consequences their older sibling had experienced and with their older siblings' positive expectancies. These results suggest that vicarious learning from an older sibling is one mechanism through which adolescents form expectancies about health risk behaviors. Prevention strategies are discussed that focus on expectancies and older sibling influence on adolescent involvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The consequences of antisocial behavior in older male siblings for younger brothers and sisters.

The contribution of younger male and female siblings' conflict and involvement in deviant activities with their older brothers to younger siblings' adolescent adjustment problems was examined in the context of parenting. Ineffective parenting during younger siblings' childhood had no direct effects on adjustment but facilitated their exposure to older brothers' deviant peers and activities. The effect of sibling conflict on adjustment was mediated by younger siblings' coparticipation in deviant activities with their older brothers during adolescence. Early sibling conflict and coparticipation in deviant activities synergistically increased the risk for younger siblings' adolescent adjustment problems. These empirical relations held in the context of parental discipline of younger siblings during adolescence. Sibling relationships entail a set of iterative social processes that strongly influence risk for adolescent antisocial behavior, drug use, sexual behavior, and traumatic experience. Variations in sibling influence were observed conditional on the gender combination of the sibling pair and on sibling age differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal depression and maternal treatment of siblings as predictors of child psychopathology.

Maternal treatment of sibling pairs with affectively ill and well mothers was examined longitudinally in relation to child psychiatric status. Mothers and children in 77 families (34 unipolar, 16 bipolar, and 27 control mothers) were observed in interaction across early, middle, and late childhood and early adolescence. Interaction was assessed on dimensions of maternal engagement and critical-irritable behavior. The study examined the relative contributions of maternal depression, the quality of maternal treatment, and differential treatment of siblings to each child's psychiatric status. By maternal report, older siblings' symptoms were predicted by maternal bipolar or unipolar illness; younger siblings' symptoms were predicted by lower maternal engagement and higher maternal critical-irritable behavior in early childhood, in addition to maternal affective illness. For the younger sibling, persistent patterns of maternal treatment were also related to both maternal and child reports of problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do gender differences in help avoidance vary by ethnicity? An examination of African American and European American students during early adolescence.

The present research examined whether the nature of gender differences varies by race for two types of academic engagement in the classroom (help avoidance and voice with the teacher) in a sample of early adolescents (N = 456; 55% female, 60% African American and 40% European American) making the transition to middle school. Growth curve analyses indicated that help avoidance increased over time, voice remained stable, and achievement declined. In line with hypotheses based on cultural variations in the female role, there were no gender differences in help avoidance for African American students, whereas for European American students, girls were lower in help avoidance than were boys. For African American students, there were no gender differences in voice with the teacher, whereas for European American students, girls were higher than were boys. These group differences were present at all 3 waves. For all students, increases in help avoidance negatively predicted changes in achievement, whereas increases in voice positively predicted achievement. Results underscore the importance of examining gender and ethnicity together to understand academic adjustment during early adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families and risk: prospective analyses of familial and social influences on adolescent substance use.

Parental, peer, and older siblings' contributions to adolescents' substance use were investigated with 2 waves of panel data from 225 African American families. Structural equation modeling showed that older siblings' behavioral willingness (BW) to use substances at Time 1 (T1) predicted target adolescents' Time 2 (T2) use, controlling for other T1 variables. Regression analyses revealed an interaction between targets' and siblings' BW, such that targets were more likely to use at T2 if both they and their siblings reported BW at T1. This interaction was stronger for families living in high-risk neighborhoods. Finally, siblings' willingness buffered the impact of peer use on targets' later use: Low sibling BW was associated with less evidence of peer influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal pathways linking family factors and sibling relationship qualities to adolescent substance use and sexual risk behaviors.

This 3-wave, 5-year longitudinal study tested the contributions of family contextual factors and sibling relationship qualities to younger siblings' substance use, sexual risk behaviors, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted disease. More than 220 non-White families participated (67% Latino and 33% African American), all of which involved a younger sibling (133 girls and 89 boys; mean age=13.6 years at Time 1) and an older sister (mean age=17 years at Time 1). Results from structural equation latent growth curve modeling indicated that qualities of the sibling relationship (high older sister power, low warmth/closeness, and low conflict) mediated effects from several family risks (mothers' single parenting, older sisters' teen parenting, and family's receipt of aid) to younger sibling outcomes. Model results were generally stronger for sister-sister pairs than for sister-brother pairs. Findings add to theoretical models that emphasize the role of family and parenting processes in shaping sibling relationships, which, in turn, influence adolescent outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neighborhood disadvantage moderates associations of parenting and older sibling problem attitudes and behavior with conduct disorders in African American children.

Data from 296 sibling pairs (mean ages 10 and 13 years), their primary caregivers, and census records were used to test the hypothesis that African American children's likelihood of developing conduct problems associated with harsh parenting, a lack of nurturant-involved parenting, and exposure to an older sibling's deviance-prone attitudes and behavior would be amplified among families residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods. A latent construct representing harsh-inconsistent parenting and low levels of nurturant-involved parenting was positively associated with younger siblings' conduct disorder symptoms, as were older siblings' problematic attitudes and behavior. These associations were strongest among families residing in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Future research and prevention programs should focus on the specific neighborhood processes associated with increased vulnerability for behavior problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Striving for social dominance over peers: The implications for academic adjustment during early adolescence.

This study investigated the proposal that social dominance goals are an important, but overlooked, aspect of social goals for young adolescents' academic adjustment. Self-reports of social goals (dominance, intimacy, and popularity goals) early in the school year were used to predict subsequent engagement (self-reports and peer nominations of effort toward school work and disruptive behavior) and achievement (i.e., grades) when students were in 6th grade (N = 718) and again after the transition to middle school when students were in 7th grade (N = 656; 52% African American and 48% White; 52% female and 48% male). In line with hypotheses, social dominance goals were associated with maladaptive forms of engagement and low achievement in 6th and 7th grades. For intimacy goals, relations were more limited, but when found, these goals were associated with adaptive forms of engagement in 6th and 7th grades. Popularity goals were not generally associated with engagement or achievement. The exception was 6th-grade African American girls, for whom popularity goals were associated with maladaptive engagement, (i.e., low effort, high disruptive behavior, and low peer nominations for trying hard and getting good grades). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sibling relationships from the preschool period through middle childhood and early adolescence.

Studied the stability and correlates of individual differences in children's relationships with their siblings between early childhood and adolescence in 39 sibling dyads, using home observations and maternal interviews in the early childhood period and interviews with mothers and children at the later time points. Stability of individual differences found over 7 yrs increased with age. The behavior of the other sibling in the preschool period related to both older and younger siblings' behavior at the last time point. Life events were associated with increased warmth between the children. By preadolescence, gender and SES were related to differences in the relationship. Multiple regression showed that preschool measures of sibling interaction contributed independently of gender and SES to the variance in individual differences in positive aspects of the relationship at early adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations.

The authors examined the relations between participation in a range of high school extracurricular contexts and developmental outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood among an economically diverse sample of African American and European American youths. In general, when some prior self-selection factors were controlled, 11th graders' participation in school clubs and organized sports was associated with concurrent indicators of academic and psychological adjustment and with drug and alcohol use. In addition, participation in 11th grade school clubs and prosocial activities was associated with educational status and civic engagement at 1 year after high school. A few of the concurrent and longitudinal relations between activity participation and development were moderated by race and gender. Finally, breadth of participation, or number of activity contexts, was associated with positive academic, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experiences of discrimination among Chinese American adolescents and the consequences for socioemotional and academic development.

This longitudinal study examined the influences of discrimination on socioemotional adjustment and academic performance for a sample of 444 Chinese American adolescents. Using autoregressive and cross-lagged techniques, the authors found that discrimination in early adolescence predicted depressive symptoms, alienation, school engagement, and grades in middle adolescence but that early socioemotional adjustment and academic performance did not predict later experiences of discrimination. Further, their investigation of whether earlier or contemporaneous experiences of discrimination influenced developmental outcomes in middle adolescence indicated differential effects, with contemporaneous experiences of discrimination affecting socioemotional adjustment, whereas earlier discrimination was more influential for academic performance. Finally, they found a persistent negative effect of acculturation on the link between discrimination and adolescents’ developmental outcomes, such that those adolescents who were more acculturated (in this case, higher in American orientation) experienced more deleterious effects of discrimination on both socioemotional and academic outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conditions of sibling support in adolescence.

This study examined the nature and extent of adolescent siblings' supportive roles and the conditions under which siblings provide support to one another about familial and nonfamilial issues. Data were collected from 185 adolescent firstborn (M age?=?16 years) and secondborn (M age?=?13 years) sibling pairs. In home interviews, siblings reported on family experiences and psychosocial functioning during the past year. In a series of 7 evening telephone interviews, siblings reported on their shared daily activities. Findings suggested that both older and younger siblings view older siblings as sources of support about nonfamilial issues such as social and scholastic activities and that siblings assume equally supportive roles about familial issues. Further, the results suggested that family background characteristics, sibling relationship qualities, and adolescents' psychosocial functioning were linked to the nature and extent of sibling support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

Do birds of a feather flock together? The variable bases for African American, Asian American, and European American adolescents' selection of similar friends.

Variability in adolescent-friend similarity is documented in a diverse sample of African American, Asian American, and European American adolescents. Similarity was greatest for substance use, modest for academic orientations, and low for ethnic identity. Compared with Asian American and European American adolescents, African American adolescents chose friends who were less similar with respect to academic orientation or substance use but more similar with respect to ethnic identity. For all three ethnic groups, personal endorsement of the dimension in question and selection of cross-ethnic-group friends heightened similarity. Similarity was a relative rather than an absolute selection criterion: Adolescents did not choose friends with identical orientations. These findings call for a comprehensive theory of friendship selection sensitive to diversity in adolescents' experiences. Implications for peer influence and self-development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observed sibling interaction: Links with the marital and the mother–child relationship.

The study examines whether the link between the marital relationship and sibling interaction is direct or mediated by the mother–child relationship. Seventy-three same-sex sibling pairs aged 3 years 6 months to 8 years 6 months were observed during free play. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing marital functioning and their relationship with their 2 children. Results indicated that older siblings' negative behavior is linked with negative dimensions of the marital and the mother–child relationship, whereas younger siblings' negative behavior is linked with the mother–child and the differential mother–child relationship. Siblings' positive behavior, although linked with spacing, is not linked with positive dimensions of family interaction. Most important, the linkage between negative marital relations and older siblings' negative behavior was found to be mediated by maternal power assertion, thereby supporting the indirect model of negative family interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Promoting academic achievement: The role of racial identity in buffering perceptions of teacher discrimination on academic achievement among African American and Caribbean Black adolescents.

In this study, the authors examined the moderating effects of different dimensions racial identity (i.e., racial centrality and public regard) on perceptions of teacher discrimination and academic achievement among a nationally represented sample of African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. The findings revealed that perceived teacher discrimination was negatively related to academic achievement for both African American and Caribbean Black youth. In addition, high racial centrality and low public regard buffered the negative consequences of high levels of perceived teacher discrimination on academic achievement among Caribbean Black adolescents. Implications of these findings for academic achievement among Black youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Warmth with mothers and fathers from middle childhood to late adolescence: Within- and between-families comparisons.

The authors examined siblings' dyadic and differential experiences of parental warmth from 7 to 19 years of age. Participants were first- and second-borns from 201 families who reported on their warmth with each parent in 4 home interviews spaced over 5 years. Supporting an individual development hypothesis, multilevel model analyses revealed declines in parental warmth from early through midadolescence but no changes or increases in warmth in middle childhood and later adolescence. Consistent with a learning-from-experience hypothesis, declines in paternal warmth were less pronounced for second-borns than for firstborns. The results also suggest gender intensification in differential warmth for parents of mixed-gender sibling dyads. Within-family comparisons of youth provide unique insights about family relationship development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social risk and protective factors for African American children's academic achievement and adjustment during the transition to middle school.

The transition to middle school is often marked by decreased academic achievement and increased emotional stress, and African American children exposed to social risk may be especially vulnerable during this transition. To identify mediators and protective factors, the authors related severity and timing of risk exposure to academic achievement and adjustment between 4th and 6th grade in 74 African American children. Longitudinal analyses indicated that severity more than timing of risk exposure was negatively related to all outcomes and that language skills mediated the pathway from risk for most outcomes. Transition to middle school was related to lower math scores and to more externalizing problems when children experienced higher levels of social risk. Language skills and parenting served as protective factors, whereas expectations of racial discrimination was a vulnerability factor. Results imply that promoting parenting and, especially, language skills, and decreasing expectations of racial discrimination provide pathways to academic success for African American children during the transition from elementary to middle school, especially those exposed to adversity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sibling relationships in early/middle childhood: links with individual adjustment.

The overarching goal of the study was to identify links between sibling relationship quality in early/middle childhood with children's adjustment, having accounted for the effects of parent-child relationship quality. The sample consisted of 101 working and middle-class 2-parent English families with 2 children ages 4-8 years. Parents provided reports of sibling relationship quality, the parent-child relationship, and the children's prosocial and problematic behaviors. The children also provided reports of their familial relationships with a puppet interview. Results indicated that sibling relationship quality was associated with the older siblings' adjustment, controlling for the children's relationships with parents. In addition, the pattern of findings suggested that positivity within the sibling relationship was more strongly linked with child adjustment than was sibling conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)