Familial influences on adolescent adjustment: The sibling relationship within the family system

The first objective of the present study was to examine the associations among adolescent adjustment outcomes and several family relationships. The second objective was to investigate the sibling relationship as a potential source of support for adolescents living in high marital conflict homes. Seventy-eight (44 females, 34 males) adolescents (39 sibling pairs) completed several questionnaires regarding their behaviors, self-concept, and perceived social support from family relationships. Level of marital conflict was negatively related to adolescent self-concept and positively associated with adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The quality of the parent-adolescent and sibling relationships were positively correlated with adolescent self-concept and inversely related to adolescent internalizing behaviors. Furthermore, perceived parental favoritism was negatively associated with adolescent self-concept and the quality of the mother-adolescent, father-adolescent, and sibling relationships. Parental favoritism also was positively related to adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Lastly, social support derived from the sibling relationship appears to help adolescents develop healthy self-concepts regardless of exposure to marital conflict.