Associations between family cohesion and adolescent siblings' externalizing behavior.

Abstract

This study asked whether family cohesion, a measure of whole family functioning, was associated with adolescent siblings' externalizing problems, controlling for the quality of each sibling's relationship with his or her parents. The sample included 93 families (mothers, fathers, and 2 adolescent siblings). Family cohesion was measured from videotaped observations of parents and 2 of their adolescent children discussing family conflict and limit setting. Adolescents reported on hostility in their relationships with mothers and fathers, and parents rated adolescents' externalizing problems. Results from multilevel modeling showed that family cohesion was negatively associated with adolescents' externalizing problems, independent of variance explained by hostility in dyadic parent-child relationships. Results support family systems theory, suggesting that whole family functioning has implications for adolescents' behavioral problems beyond those accounted for by dyadic family relationships.

Perceived family functioning, adolescent psychopathology and quality of life in the general population: a 6-month follow-up study

“…Thus, the family appears involved in adolescents who display behavioral problems. These results are in accordance with earlier research, for example reporting that family cohesion was negatively associated with adolescents' externalizing problems [38]. Likewise, maternal warmth and overall parental emotional support, in addition to overall neighborhood support, were important predictors of externalizing behavior problems [39].…”

Family Functioning and the Development of Trust and Intimacy Among Adolescents in Residential Treatment

“…By contrast, adolescents whose early relationships were characterized by negative trust-related experiences (i.e., neglect, trauma, intrusiveness, inconsistency, and inaccurate communication) demonstrate difficulty in coping with distress and relationship conflict (Mikulincer, 1998;Richmond & Stocker, 2006). Moreover, some large scale studies have discovered that relational learning in adolescence is highly influenced by the level of family engagement and perceived emotional availability of family members (Coll, Juhnke, Thobro, Haas, & Robinson, 2008;Trumpeter et al, 2008).…”

“…Rather, it is the capacity for closeness and reciprocal feelings of empathy within the family system. Richmond and Stocker (2006) suggest that adolescents from families that are emotionally connected, warm, and flexible demonstrate healthy psychological adjustment.…”

Coparenting and Early Conscience Development in the Family

“…Family systems theory posits that families consist of subsystems of relationships and family dynamics are a result of the interaction between these subsystems (Cox & Paley, 1997;Minuchin, 1985). In support of this theory, a number of studies examining family influences on child development have found significant relations between marital, parent-child, and sibling relationships (Cowan & Cowan, 2002;Feinberg & Hetherington, 2001;Kowal, Krull, & Kramer, 2006;Richmond & Stocker, 2006;Stewart, Mobley, Salvador, & Van Tuyl, 1987;Volling, McElwain, & Miller, 2002;Volling & Elins, 1998). More recently, researchers have underscored the importance of whole-family interactions, such as coparenting between mothers and fathers, noting that family influence goes beyond the direct effects of dyadic interaction (McHale, 1995;McHale, Lauretti, Talbot, & Pouquette, 2002;SchoppeSullivan, Frosh, Mangelsdorf, & McHale, 2004;Volling, Blandon, & Grovine, 2006).…”