New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development

Kramer, Laurie; Conger, Katherine J.

doi: 10.1002/cd.253pmid: 19960536

Siblings have considerable influence on one another's development throughout childhood, yet most human development research has neglected sibling socialization. Through this volume, we aim to enhance our understanding of how siblings play formative roles in one another's social and emotional development. We examine the mechanisms by which children are influenced by their brothers and sisters, clarify the ways in which these mechanisms of socialization are similar to and different from children's socialization experiences with parents, and consider the conditions under which sibling socialization results in positive versus negative consequences for individual development.

Kramer, Laurie; Conger, Katherine J.

doi: 10.1002/cd.254pmid: 19960532

Guided by an ecological framework, we explore how siblings' and parents' roles, relationships, and activities are intertwined in everyday life, providing unique and combined contributions to development. In a departure from past research that emphasized the separate contributions of siblings and parents to individual development, we find that examining the conjoint or interactive effects of sibling and parent influences promises to extend our understanding of the role of family in children's and adolescents' social, emotional, and cognitive development. Understood within the context of family and sociocultural characteristics, siblings' unique roles as agents of socialization are illuminated.

Kramer, Laurie; Conger, Katherine J.

doi: 10.1002/cd.255pmid: 19960533

Siblings are important sources of social influence throughout childhood and adolescence. Nevertheless, the processes by which siblings influence one another remain relatively unexplored. We highlight two theories of sibling influence—sibling deidentification and social learning—that offer insights as to how and why siblings develop similar and different attributes, attitudes, and behaviors. Recognizing the need to move past post hoc explanations, we suggest several directions for how these two influence processes can be measured directly in future work. Research on sibling influence also can be improved by integrating these theories and attending to their domains of influence.

Kramer, Laurie; Conger, Katherine J.

doi: 10.1002/cd.256pmid: 19960534

Stressful life events and experiences may disrupt the typical day‐to‐day interactions between sisters and brothers that provide the foundation of sibling socialization. This chapter examines four experiences that may affect patterns of sibling interaction: parental marital conflict, parental divorce and remarriage, foster care placement, and a sibling's developmental disability. We propose a model to guide future research on sibling socialization in distressed families and special populations in which qualities of the sibling relationship moderate the effects of stressful life experiences on child and family adjustment.

Kramer, Laurie; Conger, Katherine J.

doi: 10.1002/cd.257pmid: 19960535

Sibling relationships provide one of the most stable and powerful developmental contexts for the transmission of both prosocial and antisocial behavior. As a source of support and skill development, sibling relationships can build competence in self‐regulation and emotional understanding. However, sibling relationships marked by antisocial behavior, substance use, and conflict place children at risk for a host of negative outcomes. Family relationship features, particularly parenting practices and discord, contribute strongly to both the quality of sibling relationships and children's well‐being. Our review of intervention strategies reveals that the potential of sibling relationships to promote socioemotional development may be best realized through family‐centered approaches that build prosocial sibling interactions, curtail child behavior problems, and strengthen parenting.

Kramer, Laurie; Conger, Katherine J.

doi: 10.1002/cd.258pmid: 19960537

The study of siblings has become increasingly central to developmental science. Sibling relationships have unique effects on development, and sibling designs allow researchers to isolate causal mechanisms in development. This volume emphasizes causal mechanisms in the social domain. We review the preceding chapters in relation to six topics: a multilevel modeling approach to the ecology of sibling relationships, unique contributions of sibling relationships to development, sibling similarity and dissimilarity, developmental stages, culture and class, and intervention studies with siblings. We conclude with insights regarding directions for future research.