Sibling support exchange in late adulthood moderates the long-term impact of childhood neglect on psychological outcomes

Abstract

Objectives: Sibling relationships are often the longest-lasting and serve as a source of support and comfort for many older adults. The current study examined the moderating effect of sibling support exchange in the association between childhood maltreatment and mental health outcomes. Method: Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), we analyzed a sample of older adults whose selected sibling was alive across the three data collections (baseline N = 4,041). Longitudinal multilevel regression models were estimated. Results: Key results showed that a history of neglect was associated with decreased psychological well-being, and all three forms of childhood maltreatment were related to increased depressive symptoms. We also found that sibling support exchange mitigated the negative mental health effects of childhood neglect. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that siblings may be uniquely positioned to support older adults who grew up in a neglectful family environment. Older adults may be encouraged to promote resilience by strengthening their sibling relationships.