Affect and Sibling Relationships in Adulthood

Bedford, Victoria Hilkevitch; Avioli, Paula Smith

doi:10.1016/b978-012464995-8/50013-3

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Americans are living longer than in previous generations (Bedford & Avioli, 2012; Furstenberg et al, 2015). Thus, the sibling relationship, the longest lasting relationship for most people, may become increasingly relevant for older adults and may be linked to their well-being.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The little research to date on sibling relationships in later adulthood suggests that, in general, older adults report having positive relationships with their siblings (Bedford & Avioli, 2012; Cicirelli, 1995; Connidis, 2010; White, 2001), and brothers and sisters often maintain contact with each other (Connidis & Campbell, 1995; Paul, 1997; Spitze & Trent, 2006). In a large national panel sample of adults aged 16–95, contact between siblings declined during early adulthood and remained stable in midlife and later life (White, 2001).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Sibling Relationships In Older Adulthoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being.

Stocker¹,

Gilligan²,

Klopack³

et al. 2020

Journal of Family Psychology

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Researchers have documented associations between family relationships and a variety of well-being outcomes. Yet, sibling relationships, the longest lasting relationships in most people’s lives, have received very little research attention beyond young adulthood. The goals of the current study were to: provide descriptive information about sibling relationships in later adulthood, investigate predictors of individual differences in sibling relationship quality, and examine associations among sibling relationship quality, loneliness, and well-being in later adulthood. The sample included 608 older adults (329 men, 279 women) who were 64.6 years old (SD = 4.58) on average. Participants provided self-report data about their relationships and well-being. Results showed that older adults reported high levels of sibling warmth and low levels of sibling conflict and parental favoritism. Sister–sister pairs had warmer sibling relationships than other gender-compositions. Sibling conflict and parental favoritism were positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, hostility, and loneliness. Sibling warmth was negatively associated with loneliness. Loneliness partially mediated the associations between sibling relationship quality and well-being. Results from this study highlight the importance of sibling relationships in older adults’ health and well-being.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Characteristics Of Sibling Relationships In Older Adulthoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being.

Stocker¹,

Gilligan²,

Klopack³

et al. 2020

Journal of Family Psychology

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“…As Myers, Goodboy, and Members of COMM 201 (2013) found, adult siblings who consider their relationships to be either overbenefitted or equitable report higher levels of trust, communication satisfaction, relational satisfaction, liking, and loving than adult siblings who consider their relationships to be underbenefitted. They posited that these overbenefitted and equitable sibling relationships are marked by an affectional tone that functions as a way to explain not only why siblings are involved currently in each other's lives but also as a way to inform their future interactions with each other (Bedford & Avioli, 1996). In a similar vein, Myers et al (1999) found that when individuals use relational communication dimensions that stress equality, similarity, and receptivity when communicating with their siblings, these dimensions act as predictors of their communication satisfaction with, and their liking and loving toward, their siblings.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Relational Maintenance Behaviors and Relational Characteristics Among Sibling Types

Myers

Odenweller

2015

Communication Studies

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The purpose of this investigation is to apply Gold's (1989) typology of sibling relationships to the study of adult-sibling use of relational maintenance behaviors and perceptions of relational characteristics. Participants were 196 adults who targeted a sibling whose birthday was closest to their own and completed a series of instruments in reference to the targeted sibling. It was found that whether individuals classified their sibling relationships as intimate, congenial, loyal, or apathetic=hostile was reflected in their self-reported use of relational maintenance behaviors, their perceptions of their targeted siblings' use of relational maintenance behaviors with them, and their perceptions of the relational characteristics associated with the sibling relationship.To date, family communication researchers have studied extensively the role that relational maintenance behaviors play in the adult-sibling relationship. They have examined the frequency with which relational maintenance behaviors are used across

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“…Compared with younger or middle-aged adults, older people usually have fewer relationships and less contact, which may be partly due to the mortality or morbidity of relationship partners, but could also be a result of deliberate choices (e.g., Lang, 2000). Relationships with siblings, however, are among the types of relations that are likely to be continued in old age, and contribute significantly to emotional and social wellbeing (Antonucci & Akiyama, 1995;Bedford, 1995;Bedford & Avioli, 1996;Cicirelli, 1996;Connidis & Davies, 1992). From the perspective of socioemotional selectivity theory, it has been argued that older people prefer social interactions and maintain relationships that are meaningful and lead to positive emotional experiences (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999), and even more so when feeling near to death (Lang, 2000).…”

Section: Sibling Relationships In Old Agementioning

confidence: 99%