Differential parenting and sibling jealousy: Developmental correlates of young adults’ romantic relationships

Abstract

Data from a survey of 200 young adults assessed whether the early nonshared environment, specifically parental differential treatment, was associated with romantic relationship distress through its effects on sibling jealousy, attachment styles, and self-esteem. Individuals who received equal affection from their parents in comparison to their sibling reported equal jealousy between themselves and their sibling, had higher self-esteem, more secure attachment styles, and less romantic relationship distress. Receiving differential parental affection, regardless of whether the participant or their sibling was favored, was associated with more negative models of self and others, which in turn were associated with greater romantic relationship distress. Results indicate that early withinfamily experiences may be particularly relevant for later healthy romantic relationship functioning.The achievement of intimacy in close relationships is considered a central developmental task in the early years of adulthood (W. A. Collins & Sroufe, 1999;Conger, Cui, Bryant, & Elder, 2000;Erikson, 1968). The failure to establish and maintain such high-quality relationships is associated with poorer well-being. In particular, individuals in unhappy relationships are more likely to suffer poor physical and mental health, even if their romantic relationships are stable (Beach, Katz, Kim, & Brody, 2003;Kiecolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001). Given the importance of romantic relationship quality for well-being, researchers have sought to understand the developmental roots of the ability to both initiate and maintain high-quality romantic relationships (Conger et al., 2000). Research has demonstrated that experiences in the early familial environment contribute to romantic relationship functioning, such that individuals who grow up in families characterized by nurturing parenting have higher quality romantic relationships as adults than do individuals who grow up with parents characterized as distant or cold (Black & Schutte, 2006;Donnellan, Larsen-Rife, & Conger, 2005).Although research has recognized the importance of early childhood experiences for the development of competence in intimate relationships, only recently have researchers begun to examine the sibling relationship as being a significant aspect of the early family environment (L. R. Brody, Copeland, Sutton, Richardson, & Guyer, 1998). The roots of this emerging interest in sibling influences can be traced to the investigation of the developmental impact of the nonshared environment, defined as any environmental experience that differs for children growing up in the same family (i.e., being treated differently by parents and one's own siblings; Baker & Daniels, 1990;Daniels & Plomin, 1985). These differences can be quite pronounced as the differential experiences of children within the same family are often greater than the experiences of children from different families (Plomin & Daniels, 1987). These differences, whether perceived or actual, have important implications for i...

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

“…It is the child's experience of differential parenting practices as unfair and inequitable that exacerbates the adverse effects of differential parenting on the quality of the sibling relationship. Parents' differential treatment of siblings has been hypothesized to contribute to variations in the quality of sibling relationships and has been conjectured to create negativity in their relationship by inducing feelings of rivalry, anger, and mistrust (Gilbert & Gerlsma, 1999;Rauer & Volling, 2007). Garcia, Shaw, Winslow, and Yaggi (2000) state that being the nonpreferred child increases that child's conflict with siblings during childhood.…”

“…Disparities in parents' affection for and warmth toward different children in the family, and differences in how restrictive and punitive parents are toward each child, have been shown to undermine the quality of the sibling relationship during childhood and adolescence and to provoke hostile, coercive, and frequent conflict between siblings (Boer, Goedhart, & Treffers 1992;Brody, Stoneman, & McCoy, 1992;Feinberg, Reiss, Neiderhiser, & Hetherington, 2005;McHale, Crouter, & McGuire, 1995;McHale et al, 2000). Rauer and Volling (2007), who studied 200 young adults aged 18-22 years, reported that parental differential affection was strongly related to feelings of jealousy toward one's sibling.…”

“…Early interactions with parents and siblings are viewed as weighty factors with regard to the formation of later adult personality, which in turn affects subsequent interpersonal relations (Akhtar & Kramer, 1999;Colonna & Newman, 1983;Neborsky, 1997). These family-based internalized experiences are manifested in the everyday interactions that take place between siblings in young adulthood (Charles, 1999;Rauer & Volling, 2007).…”

“…While the literature describes the devastating consequences of the perception of parental unequal treatment on an individual's sense of self-worth and personality (e.g., Rauer & Volling, 2007), the correlates between features of sibling relationships and narcissism (a personality variable with profound impact on interpersonal relations) have not been investigated so far. Moreover, in young adulthood-a developmental stage of personality formalization and consolidation-siblings in the process of self-differentiation often examine the similarities and differences between them (Vivona, 2007).…”

A systematic review of romantic jealousy in relationships

“…also rodriguez, DiBello, overup and Neighbors (2015) concluded that anxious attachment moderates the association between trust and jealousy, which in turn affects satisfaction at the couple level (Dandurand & lafontaine, 2014). in addition, women who grew up without the presence of their father reported more anxious and preventive jealousy (Brummen-girigori, Buunk, Dijkstra, & girigori, 2016); and it is stated that jealousy may be mediated by differential affection -comparison with a sibling -during childhood (rauer & Volling, 2007) and the last children were more jealous than the firstborn (Buunk, 1997).…”