A transactional model composed of family factors and individual child characteristics that are hypothesized to influence the development of dysfunctional sibling relationships will be tested. At the core of this model is the assumption that individual child characteristics place certain sibling dyads at risk for conflictual relations. This model further predicts that maladaptive sibling management strategies employed by mothers and fathers exacerbate sibling at risk status. These maladaptive sibling management strategies are more likely to occur in families in which the overall emotional climate is unhealthy and where parents have few emotional resources. The purpose of the present proposal is to examine, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, the contributions of sibling management strategies, family emotional climate, and parental personal resources to conflicted sibling relationships. At each level of analysis (e.g. individual child, sibling, parent-sibling, parent personal resources, family emotional climate) multiple measures which feature established psychometric properties and construct validity will be employed, with both observational and self-report measurement strategies included whenever possible. Data will be obtained from fathers, mothers, older siblings, and younger siblings.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH040704-02
Application #
3379001
Study Section
(LCRA)
Project Start
1986-04-01
Project End
1989-03-31
Budget Start
1987-04-01
Budget End
1988-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Georgia
Department
Type
Graduate Schools
DUNS #
City
Athens
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30602
Brody, G H; Stoneman, Z; Gauger, K (1996) Parent-child relationships, family problems-solving behavior, and sibling relationship quality: the moderating role of sibling temperaments. Child Dev 67:1289-300
Brody, G H; Stoneman, Z; McCoy, J K (1994) Forecasting sibling relationships in early adolescence from child temperaments and family processes in middle childhood. Child Dev 65:771-84
Stoneman, Z; Brody, G H (1993) Sibling temperaments, conflict, warmth, and role asymmetry. Child Dev 64:1786-800
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 Dev 63:82-92
Brody, G H; Stoneman, Z; McCoy, J K et al. (1992) Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations of sibling conflict with family relationship assessments and family discussions about sibling problems. Child Dev 63:391-400
Brody, G H; Stoneman, Z; Millar, M et al. (1990) Assessing individual differences: effects of responding to prior questionnaires on the substantive and psychometric properties of self-esteem and depression assessments. J Pers Assess 54:401-11
Stoneman, Z; Brody, G H; Burke, M (1989) Marital quality, depression, and inconsistent parenting: relationship with observed mother-child conflict. Am J Orthopsychiatry 59:105-17
Brody, G H; Stoneman, Z; Burke, M (1988) Child temperament and parental perceptions of individual child adjustment: an intrafamilial analysis. Am J Orthopsychiatry 58:532-42
Brody, G H; Stoneman, Z; Burke, M (1987) Family system and individual child correlates of sibling behavior. Am J Orthopsychiatry 57:561-9