The quality of sibling relationships and the development of social competence and behavioral control in aggressive children

To understand the relations between sibling interactions and the social adjustment of children with behavior problems, 53 aggressive 1st- and 2nd-grade children, their mothers, and their siblings were interviewed about positive and negative aspects of the sibling relationship. When conflict and warmth were considered together, 3 types of sibling dyads emerged: conflictual (high levels of conflict, low levels of warmth), involved (moderate levels of conflict and warmth), and supportive (low levels of conflict, high levels of warmth). On most measures of social adjustment at school, children in involved sibling relationships showed better adjustment than did children in conflictual relationships. Results are discussed in terms of a developmental model for at-risk children in which some sibling relationships may foster the development of social skills in addition to providing emotional support, which may enhance adjustment at school. Copyright 1996 by the American Psychological Association, Inc.

Duke Scholars

Author John D. Coie Psychology & Neuroscience

Author Kenneth A. Dodge Sanford School of Public Policy