Mother-Child Conflict and Sibling Relatedness: A Test of Hypotheses From Parent-Offspring Conflict Theory

Abstract

Parent-offspring conflict theory (POCT) has been underutilized in studies of human family dynamics. An implication of POCT is that the presence of siblings will increase conflict in biological parent-child dyads, and that half siblings will increase that conflict more than full siblings. Evidence consistent with this prediction was found in a longitudinal study of 236 early adolescent children and their mothers. Following parental disruption, the entry of younger maternal half siblings into the home was uniquely associated with elevated conflict between mothers and their biological children, independent of the effects of family size, socioeconomic status, and maternal depression. As predicted by the model, the effect of parental disruption on mother-child conflict was partially mediated by the entry of half siblings (but not stepfathers) into the home.

Shared Children in Stepfamilies: Experiences Living in a Hybrid Family Structure

“…Although less is known about half-sibling relationships compared with full-sibling relationships, research on this topic is growing. In a systematic integrative review of research on half-and stepsiblings, Sanner, Russell, Coleman, and Ganong (2018) found that the research suggests small but consistent deficits associated with the presence of half-siblings in the household-lower parental involvement, educational achievement, and economic well-being (Brown, Manning, & Stykes, 2015;Ginther & Pollak, 2004;Halpern-Meekin & Tach, 2008;Strow & Strow, 2008;Turunen, 2014); more antisocial behavior, depressive symptoms, and parent-child conflict (Apel & Kaukinen, 2008;Fomby, Goode, & Mollborn, 2016;Halpern-Meekin & Tach, 2008;Harcourt et al, 2015;Schlomer, Ellis, & Garber, 2010;Strow & Strow, 2008); increased risk of family dissolution (Jensen & Clausen, 2003); early exit from the parental home (Aquilino, 1991); and more frequent unintentional childhood injuries (Tanskanen, Danielsbacka, & Rotkirch, 2015).…”

Negligencia del padre ¿una práctica que puede llevar al embarazo adolescente?

“…La ausencia del padre biológico, la presencia del padrastro y las relaciones familiares estresantes constituyen caminos separados para la maduración temprana de la pubertad en las niñas (Ellis, 2004;Ellis, Bates, Dodge, Fergusson, John Horwood, Pettit, & Woodward, 2003;Ellis, Figueredo, Brumbach & Schlomer, 2009;Ellis, & Garber, 2000;James, Ellis, Schlomer, & Garber, 2012;Schlomer, Ellis, & Garber, 2010). Por consiguiente, la negligencia de tipo emocional en el padre como equivalente de ausencia paterna se constituye en factor que puede llevar al embarazo temprano en la hija (Grainger, 2004;Miller, Benson, & Galbraith, 2001).…”

“…Desde este postulado, las relaciones familiares de baja calidad y la pobreza en la calidad de la inversión paterna durante la infancia se pueden convertir en factores que pronostican el temprano ingreso a la pubertad por parte de las niñas, el inicio precoz de la actividad sexual y un mayor nivel de riesgo frente al embarazo en la adolescencia (Ellis, 2004;Ellis et al, 2003;Ellis et al, 2009;Ellis, & Garber, 2000;James et al, 2012;Schlomer et al, 2010) …”

“…Estos hallazgos coinciden con la teoría consultada y los planteamientos de Ellis (2004), Ellis et al (2009), Schlomer et al (2010) y James et al (2012, para quienes los factores relacionados con la escasa supervisión posibilitan la errada toma de decisiones y la iniciación sexual precoz, por cuanto las condiciones negligentes del padre no favorecen en modo alguno las capacidades para enfrentarse a posteriores relaciones afectivas, la supervivencia, la exploración social y la permanencia del vínculo a través del tiempo.…”

An Automatic Weighting System for Wild Animals Based in an Artificial Neural Network: How to Weigh Wild Animals without Causing Stress

“…The observation of animal behavior helps to understand key issues in ecology, such as which factors influence lifetime reproductive success [1], how parent–offspring conflicts are solved [2,3], which are evolutionary stable strategies [4] or which are the sex roles in reproduction [5]. This kind of study requires a large amount of data that are hard to obtain using classic methods of animal monitoring, because it is necessary to capture individuals repeatedly over short periods of time, which limits the amount and quality of data that can be obtained (captures alter individual behavior and may jeopardize the survival of the offspring, among others).…”