Improving Emotion Regulation and Sibling Relationship Quality: The More Fun With Sisters and Brothers Program*

Abstract

We examined the role of emotion regulation (ER) in improving sibling relationship quality (SRQ) by evaluating the More Fun With Sisters and Brothers Program where 4-to 8-year-old siblings from 95 families were taught emotional and social competencies. Parents reported on SRQ and ER, and sibling interactions were observed in homes. SRQ and ER improved for program participants (n ¼ 55) in comparison to those in a wait list condition (n ¼ 40). Children participating in the program needed less parental direction to control negative emotions and refrain from directing negative actions toward others following the program. Higher levels of ER were linked with more positive SRQ at posttest. Results highlight the value of strengthening children's emotion regulation processes as a mechanism for promoting prosocial sibling relationships.

Sibling Bullying and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Self-Harm: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…However, given that we observe an association over and above the effects of multiple family risk factors, our findings argue for the development of interventions specifically designed to target sibling bullying. Existing programs that target the sibling relationship more broadly 46,47 should be systematically evaluated to determine whether they lead to a reduction in sibling bullying and psychological harm.…”

Young Adult Sibling Relations: The Effects of Perceived Parental Favoritism and Narcissism

“…The vast majority of sibling research has focused on relationships in childhood, sibling attachments, rivalry, birth-order, and other related topics (e.g., Dunn, 1983;Furman & Buhrmester, 1985;Kennedy & Kramer, 2008;Stocker, Dunn, & Plomin, 1989). More recently, research has been conducted on elderly siblings (Bedford, 1989b;Schulman, 1999) and on sibling relations in late adulthood (Bedford, 1998c).…”

Sibling jealousy in early childhood: longitudinal links to sibling relationship quality

“…For example, Brody et al(1999) found, in a sample of 9-to 12-year-old African-American youth, that higher self-regulation was related to more harmony and less conflict in the sibling relationship. Similarly, an intervention that promoted emotion regulation skills in sibling dyads between 4 and 8 years of age led to more positive sibling relationships (Kennedy & Kramer, 2008). Thus, in the current study, older siblings' inability to regulate their jealousy within the context of triadic interactions may be illustrative of less-developed emotion regulation skills that persist over time and predict subsequent sibling conflict.…”

“…We found that older siblings' jealous reactions in response to their fathers' interactions with their younger siblings independently predicted sibling relationship functioning above the effect of the child's jealousy with mother. Children learn to regulate their emotions within the context of the sibling relationship (Bedford & Volling, 2004;Brody, Stoneman, Smith, & Gibson, 1999;Kennedy & Kramer, 2008). For example, Brody et al(1999) found, in a sample of 9-to 12-year-old African-American youth, that higher self-regulation was related to more harmony and less conflict in the sibling relationship.…”