Abstract
Scholarship has highlighted the importance of kin relations for well-being in adulthood. Much focus has been on relationships between spouses and between parents and children. However, limited research has explored the role of adult sibling relationships in well-being, and no studies have made direct comparisons among the effects of tension with these multiple family members. Using data collected from 495 adult children nested within 254 families, we examined the differential impact of tension with mothers, siblings, and spouses on depressive symptoms in midlife. Separate multi-level regression analyses showed that tension with spouses, mothers, and siblings each predicted depressive symptoms. Combined analyses revealed that greater tension with spouses was associated with higher depressive symptoms, but tension with mothers and siblings was not. However, Wald tests comparing the strength of these associations between tension and depressive symptoms indicated that these associations did not significantly vary across family members. Interactions with gender indicated that tension with mothers was more strongly associated with higher depressive symptoms for women than men. These findings highlight the importance of the quality of relationships with family members on individuals’ psychological well-being, and call for researchers to consider multiple ties and gender when examining family relationships and well-being.
Highlights
The majority of this work has focused on relationships between spouses (Carr and Springer 2010; Choi and Marks 2008; Kamp Dush et al 2008; Williams 2003), research on relations between parents and adult children has shown that the quality of this tie is linked to well-being (Amato and Afifi 2006; Fingerman et al 2008; Gilligan et al 2015)
In other words, is conflict from some role partners more consequential for well-being? To address this question, in this article, we examine the differential impact of tension with spouses, mothers, and siblings on psychological well-being in midlife, using data collected from 495 adult children nested within 254 families
Our central aim in this article was to extend our understanding of the role of family relationships in well-being by examining the differential effects of tension with multiple family members
Summary
Theory and empirical research on interpersonal relations have emphasized the importance of the quality of relationships for individuals’ well-being (Bar-Kalifa and Rafaeli 2013; Carr and Springer 2010; Cohen 2004; DeLongis et al 2004; Fiori and Consedine 2013; Rook 2001; Umberson and Montez 2010). Shedding light on the role of these family processes may be especially important for understanding well-being in midlife because the middle years may be a point in the life course where the consequences of negative relationships are especially detrimental This is the period in which adults are likely to experience transitions that may fuel distress and discord with family members, such as launching young adult children and becoming caregivers to parents.
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