SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS AND SELF-REPRESENTATIONS IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0210702
• Project Start Date: Jul 1, 2007
• Project End Date: Jul 31, 2008
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
888 N EUCLID AVE
TUCSON,AZ 85719-4824

Performing Department
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

Non Technical Summary
The proposed investigation is designed to explore sibling influences on young adolescent's emerging self-representations. Two theoretical perspectives, each positing different mechanisms shaping the content and evaluative components of self-representations, will be compared. Self-representations are significant in understanding adjustment and well-being in early adolescence, therefore, exploring the forces that shape those self-representations is also critical. This work will advance scientific knowledge in this area by: 1) contrasting two theoretical tenets positing mechanisms of influence shaping self-representations in early adolescence; 2) testing a new methodology or on-line survey research with multiple members of a family, including adolescents; and 3) by evaluating the influence of multiple interpersonal influences on self-representations for two siblings in the same family simultaneously.

Animal Health Component

25%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

75%

Applied

25%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
802	6020	3070	100%

Knowledge Area
802 - Human Development and Family Well-Being;

Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology;

Keywords

sibling relationships

self-representations

web-based surveys

adolescents

mother-adolescent relationships

parenting siblings

Goals / Objectives
This study will address the following questions:1) Are siblings self-systems more similar or different?; 2) If similar/different, how and in what domains?; 3) If similar/different, what parent-child and sibling interaction patterns appear to be most consequential?; 4) How do sibling influences compare to peer influences in shaping emerging self-systems?; 5) What role does maternal parenting, and specifically differential treatment of the two siblings, play in shaping self-systems?; 6) How do siblings differential treatment of one another within the sibling relationship influence emerging self-systems?; and 7) What associations between self-system similarities/differences among siblings imply for the psychological well-being of the two adolescents.

Project Methods
Surveys have been designed and tested for online use. The surveys are designed for mothers, a target child who is in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade, and an older sibling who is not more than four years older than the target child. These surveys have been constructed from existing questionnaires frequently employed in research with children in the targeted age range of eight to eighteen; questionnaires that have been demonstrated to possess strong psychometric properties. For the siblings, questionnaires include Daniels and Plomin (1985), Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience, Furman & Buhrmester (1985) Mother-Child and Sibling Relationship Qualities, and Harter Perceived Competence Scale (1982). Scales from the latter measure can be compared to determine similarities and differences in the siblings self-representations, and scores from the remaining surveys can be entered into structural equation models to determine their relative impact on those reported similarities and differences. The mothers of these siblings pairs are providing information about family characteristics, her relationships with both siblings and their relationship with one another (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985), and her parenting of the siblings (Daniels & Plomin,1985). Data provided by the mothers can be analyzed as part of triadic analyses or as representing potential determinants of the observed similarities/differences between the siblings. Surveys are posted on line. A global marketing firm was contracted to provide access to their panel; a panel specifically designed to include mothers. This firm invited members of their panel to participate, directing them to the URL where they could access our surveys. These procedures and the surveys to be employed have been evaluated and approved by the University of Arizona, Human Subjects Protection program.

Progress 07/01/07 to 07/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Dr. Gamble is no longer at the University of Arizona. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Dr. Gamble is no longer at the University of Arizona.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The following research articles have either been accepted for publication or are in review: Gamble, W. C., & Yu, J.J. (2008) Adolescent siblings' looking glass self-orientations: Comparisons of source of approval, liabilities, and the role of parenting. Journal of Youth and Adoelscence. Yu, J. J., & Gamble, W. C. (2008). Family correlates of overt and relational aggression between young adolescent siblings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Gamble, W.C., Yu, J.J., & Card, N. (in review). Adolescent sibling's self-representations: A test of deidentification versus modeling influences. Social Development. Yu, J.J., & Gamble, W. (in review). Direct and moderating effects of social affordances on school involvement and delinquency among young adolescents. Yu, J. J., & Gamble, W. C. (in review). Adolescent relations with their mothers, siblings, and peers: An exploration of the roles of maternal and adolescent self-criticism. Journal of Research on Adolescence. Yu, J. J. & Gamble, W. C. (2008). Family correlates of overt and relational aggression between young adolescent siblings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Jeong Jin Yu TARGET AUDIENCES: Developmental researchers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: None

Impacts
These empirical papers are important in adding to our understanding of sibling relationships and the emergence of aggression and self-system oritenations among young adolescents. Furthermore, this research successfully employed an on-line survey, or web-based survey. To my knowledge, this was the first time this methodology had been employed to examine sibling or parent-child relationships in the developmental or family research areas.

Publications

• No publications reported this period