Preschool Siblings Research Articles

Prevention for Preschoolers at High Risk for Conduct Problems: Immediate Outcomes on Parenting Practicesand Child Social Competence

This study investigated the immediate impact of an 8-month center- and home-based prevention program for preschoolers at high risk for conduct problems. We report immediate program effects on observed and self-rated parenting practices and observed child behavior with peers. Ninety-nine preschool-age siblings of adjudicated youths and their families were randomly assigned to an enhanced version of the Incredible Years Series (Webster-Stratton, 1989; n = 50) or to a no-intervention control condition (n = 49). In an intent-to-treat design, the intervention yielded significant effects on negative parenting, parental stimulation for learning, and child social competence with peers. Improvements in negative parenting, stimulation for learning, and child social competence support the potential of the intervention to prevent later conduct problems in high-risk children.

Early childhood risk factors associated with type 1 diabetes – is gender important?

The incidence of childhood diabetes is increasing in Denmark as in the rest of the world. The aim of this investigation was to study intrauterine and early childhood risk factors for insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and to evaluate gender differences in the effect of these. METHODS/MATERIAL: A number of 602 diabetic cases aged 0-14 years diagnosed 1996-1999 were identified from the Danish register of childhood diabetes. A total of 1490 non-diabetic healthy children matched by gender and date of birth were randomly selected from the Danish population register. In addition a combination of national register data and questionnaire data was used. High parental age, neonatal infections and pre-eclampsia were associated with type 1 diabetes in boys, whereas being preterm was associated with an increased risk in girls. An increased risk was associated with a family history of diabetes and amniocentesis, while a decreased risk was associated with increasing birth order and maternal smoking. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, the following risk factors were significantly associated with case-control status: maternal smoking (OR: 0.6(0.4-0.9)), neonatal infection in boys (OR: 5.5(1.4-21.8)), neonatal infection in girls (OR: 0.6(0.1-3.0)), amniocentesis (OR: 1.6(1.0-2.6)), preschool siblings (OR: 0.8(0.6-1.0)), introduction of cow's milk after the age of 3 months (OR: 0.7(0.4-0.9)) and a 1st degree family member with diabetes (OR: 9.1(95% CI:5.2-16)). The study showed associations between several risk factors and childhood diabetes, for some risk factors the odds ratio in boys were different from the odds ratio in girls.

Older siblings benefit from a family-based preventive intervention for preschoolers at risk for conduct problems.

This study evaluated sibling effects of a family-based intervention aimed at preventing conduct problems in preschool-age siblings of adjudicated youths. Ninety-two families of preschoolers who had older siblings adjudicated for delinquent acts were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Of these, 47 families had nontargeted school-age (5-11 years) or adolescent siblings (12-17 years) living at home. These families were considered in this report. The authors hypothesized group differences on antisocial behavior and positive peer relations for older siblings of targeted preschoolers. The authors examined outcomes of parent- and teacher-reported behavior immediately postintervention and 8 months postintervention. Findings revealed significant intervention effects 8 months following intervention for adolescent siblings on parent-reported antisocial behavior and positive peer relations. Teacher reports confirmed group differences for antisocial behavior immediately postintervention. Findings document benefits for adolescent siblings.

Behavioral Inhibition as a Function of Relationship in Preschool Twins and Siblings

Monozygotic (MZ) twins spend more time with each other and are more genetically alike than are dizygotic (DZ) twins or nontwin siblings and therefore probably experience less diversity in their playmates than DZ twins, who in turn may experience less diversity than other-age siblings. Thus MZ twins may be more inhibited than DZ twins, who may in turn be more inhibited than nontwin siblings. To test this, 205 children (42 MZ twins, 94 DZ twins, and 69 nontwin siblings) were assessed in a playroom laboratory during free play with an unfamiliar peer. Children's inhibition was rated based on latency to touch a toy for the first time and amount of time spent interacting with the other child. Additionally, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) withdrawn scale was used to assess inhibition according to parent report. Behavioral ratings showed that MZ and DZ twins did not significantly differ on the inhibition or withdrawn ratings. DZ twins were significantly more inhibited than were nontwin siblings, according to laboratory ratings. Greater inhibition of twins during the free peer play situation can be explained by their relative lack of experience in playing with children who are less genetically and phenotypically like themselves. Parental ratings showed exactly the opposite pattern, suggesting a rater bias effect.

Preschool-Aged Siblings of Adjudicated Youths: Multiple Risk Factors for Conduct Problems

Younger siblings of adolescents with histories of antisocial behavior are at high risk for developing conduct problems. Information about risk exposure in youths at familial risk for conduct problems is critical to the design of informed preventive interventions. The prevalence of well-validated risk factors for conduct problems was examined in a sample of 92 preschool-aged siblings of adjudicated youths. As expected, preschoolers at familial risk for conduct problems were exposed to a range of sociocultural, biological, and parenting risks. Risk exposure was associated with concurrent conduct problems and social competence in the preschool period. Only a minority of preschoolers was reported by parents to have clinically significant conduct problems, and this subgroup had more risks than children with conduct problems in the normal range. Findings are discussed in the context of preventive interventions for high-risk children and families.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Preschool Sibling Cooperation and Conflict

SUMMARY With a sample of 524 pairs of three to eight year old twins recruited from a population registry, sibling cooperation and conflict were linearly related to the level of temperamental difficulty expressed in the twin dyad. Heritability accounted for 75% of the variance in Difficult Temperament, 0% of the variance in Instigating Cooperation, and 41% of the variance in Instigating Conflict. The shared environment, on the other hand, accounted for 0% of the variance in Difficult Temperament, 61% of the variance in Instigating Cooperation, and 28% of the variance in Instigating Conflict. Genetic influences largely accounted for the association between temperament and the sibling relationship. Using identical twin difference scores, Sibling Cooperation was one aspect of the nonshared environmental influence on temperament. Parental Positivity and Parental Negativity predicted the sibling relationship above and beyond temperament. Thus, the behavior genetic design elucidated the etiological distinctions among these correlated family variables.

A Comparison of Mothers' Individual and Simultaneous Book Sharing With Preschool Siblings

Many studies have demonstrated that adults fine tune book-sharing discussions to the developmental levels of preschoolers, but little is known regarding how reading simultaneously to different-aged preschoolers is negotiated. We observed five mothers of different-aged preschoolers sharing books with each child individually and with both children together. Analyses focused on the linguistic complexity of the book, the amount of time spent sharing a book, and on several aspects of the mothers' book-sharing mediation. Results revealed developmental differences on several measures of how mothers mediated with younger as compared to older children individually. Book complexity, the time spent sharing books, and the percent of utterances at higher levels of abstraction were higher when reading to the older children; the number of mediation strategies per minute and the percent of mothers' behaviors that were used to get and maintain attention were higher when reading to the younger children. When reading to both children simultaneously, which aspects of the mediation fell at these different levels varied among the different mothers. This suggests that different mothers reach different solutions to the task of simultaneously reading to preschoolers of different ages. One mother approached the simultaneous book sharing much as she did sharing a book with her older child, one mother approached it as she did with her younger child, one mother simply read and did little mediation, and two mothers appeared to use a mixed strategy in the simultaneous reading condition.

Sibling Jealousy in a Triadic Context with Mothers and Fathers

The current study focused on jealousy between toddler and preschool siblings. Sixty‐two families participated in triadic interaction sessions, in which mothers and then fathers were instructed to focus on one child (older sibling or toddler) while encouraging the other child to play with other toys in the room. Results indicated that child jealousy reactions differed between mothers and fathers, and parents behaved differently with older and younger siblings. Although older and younger siblings showed jealousy, older children were better than their toddler‐age siblings at regulating jealousy responses and engaging in focused play. Further, younger siblings showed differences in jealous behavior when interacting with each parent, whereas older siblings showed somewhat greater behavioral consistency across parents, indicating internalization of emotion regulation style. Mothers expressed more happiness than fathers, and parents responded differently to older versus younger siblings’ behaviors. Findings underscore the importance of examining emotion regulation processes within salient family relationships and of considering sibling interaction as a socialization context in which young children learn to negotiate emotional challenges.

Predictors of Children's Emotional Distress in a Mother-Absent Situation: Implications for Caregiving Research

Although many factors have been found to be associated with caregiving behavior among preschool-age siblings, few studies have considered the older child's emotional responses to the distress of a younger sibling in the mother's absence. In this study, the authors considered both individual and family factors that predict older and younger sibling distress in a mother-absent situation designed to elicit caregiving behavior. For both older and younger siblings, the strongest predictor of distress following the mother's departure was distress in the other sibling, suggesting the importance of situational factors. Individual and family factors, however, were also found to predict child distress. Among older siblings, shy and sociable temperaments were associated with greater distress during the mother's absence. Higher levels of parenting stress were found to be associated with less distress among both older and younger siblings in the mother-absent situation. Results are discussed in terms of individual and family environment influences on the sibling relationship.

Family Relationships and Children's Emotional Adjustment as Correlates of Maternal and Paternal Differential Treatment: A Replication with Toddler and Preschool Siblings

Recent behavioral genetic research emphasizes the nonshared family environment as an important contributor to psychological differences between siblings raised in the same family. Most studies of nonshared sibling experiences have examined the effects of differential maternal and paternal treatment separately and have not examined family-level processes. This study attempted to replicate the findings of McHale, Crouter, McGuire, and Updegraff and also of Volling in which relations between family patterns of differential parental treatment, child outcomes, and family functioning were examined. Questionnaire data were collected from 60 maritally intact families with toddler and preschool siblings. Congruence in mothers' and fathers' reports of differential treatment (i.e., similar treatment from both mother and father) was most frequent. Parents' reports of differential enjoyment were related to differential favoritism, whereas their reports of differential discipline were not. Both mothers and fathers were more likely to discipline the older sibling than the younger toddler. Sibling and marital harmony characterized families in which the father disciplined the older sibling more and mothers disciplined the two children equally. Incongruent patterns of differential favoritism (i.e., one parent treats the children equally while the other favors one child) were associated with marital distress. Preschool siblings exhibited greater internalizing and externalizing symptoms when both mothers and fathers disciplined them more than their younger sibling. The findings of this study with very young siblings differ in some respects from those with older children and suggest that future research needs to examine differential parental treatment as a developmental process across childhood.

Family Relationships and Children's Emotional Adjustment as Correlates of Maternal and Paternal Differential Treatment: A Replication with Toddler and Preschool Siblings

Family Relationships and Children's Emotional Adjustment as Correlates of Maternal and Paternal Differential Treatment: A Replication with Toddler and Preschool Siblings

Do the younger siblings of learning-disabled children see them as similar or different?

Pre-school siblings' comments about, and behaviour towards, their older, learning-disabled brothers and sisters are reported. Initially, some of the very young siblings want to be similar, and attempt to imitate their brothers and sisters, particularly if he or she is also physically disabled; this may be because of the immediate visibility of physical disability, which makes it appear interesting and important to the younger child. Before they are 2 years old, children are able to recognize that their older brothers and sisters are different, and often imitate the parents' behaviour towards the older child.

Preschool Sibling Interaction in Separated and Married Families: Are Same‐sex Pairs or Older Sisters More Sociable?

Two factors have been associated with the quality of sibling relationships: the sex of the children and their family circumstances. Yet the data on each issue are complex. This study examines the sex constellations of sibling pairs in two groups, one of which had experienced a major family disruption (parental separation), with the aim of assessing both influences more fully. Two 1-hour home observations were conducted on 20 preschool sibling dyads of separated parents and 24 pairs in which the parents were married. In both groups the sex configuration of the sibling pairs was important--same-sex pairs seemed to show closer patterns of interaction, and sister-sister dyads were particularly prosocial. These results suggests that previous research showing that older sisters or same-sex pairs interact more are both partly correct. In addition, preschoolers from separated families interacted more. The results suggest that negative life experiences might promote greater closeness between siblings.

Preschool Sibling Interaction in Separated and Married Families: Are Same-sex Pairs or Older Sisters More Sociable?

Preschool Sibling Interaction in Separated and Married Families: Are Same-sex Pairs or Older Sisters More Sociable?

The Family Correlates of Maternal and Paternal Perceptions of Differential Treatment in Early Childhood

Family patterns of differential parental treatment were examined for both mothers and fathers of preschool-aged siblings in an effort to determine (I ) whether parents the younger sibling over the older sibling; (2) whether similar distributions of differential treatment emerged across the affection, control and favoritism dimensions of parenting; and (3) whether different correlates of family functioning emerged across different family constellations of differential parental treatment. Most parents reported treating their two children equally and did not favor younger children over their older siblings. In the case of differential control, mothers reported disciplining older siblings more than a younger brother or sister. Mothers' reports of differential favoritism did not parallel their reports of differential affection and control, yet there was an association between differential paternal favoritism and differential enjoyment. Congruent patterns of differential treatment (i.e., mothers and fathers showed the same pattern) were the most frequent. Optimal family functioning was not always associated with equal treatment of siblings. Key Words: differential treatment, family systems, fathers, siblings The extensive literature documenting the associations between children's behavior problems, marital conflict, and coercive parenting (see Cummings & Davies, 1994; Patterson, 1982) underscores the importance of family interaction for the young child's psychological adjustment. One of the most striking findings from recent behavioral genetic research, however, suggests that there are vast differences between siblings raised in the same family with regard to personality outcomes and psychopathology (Dunn & Plomin, 1990; Plomin & Daniels, 1987). Indeed, siblings who are raised in the same family are often as different from one another on individual outcomes as they are from children raised in different families (Plomin, Chipeur, & Neiderhiser, 1994; Plomin & Daniels, 1987). Moreover, any similarities noted between siblings with respect to psychological outcomes are believed to be genetic in origin while differences between siblings are believed to be due largely to nonshared environmental influences (i.e., those aspects of the environment experienced differently by siblings). Four possible sources of the nonshared environment are thought to account for sibling differences within families: (a) differential parental treatment (i.e., differences in how a parent treats both children); (b) differential sibling experience (i.e., the different experiences the two children provide for one another); (3) differential peer experiences (i.e., siblings have different peer groups); and (4) accidents and illnesses unique to the individual (see Plomin & Daniels, 1987). In an effort to explore the various ways that differential experiences within the family are correlated with sibling differences, several investigators have focused on differential maternal treatment. Not only do mothers respond to and control their older and younger children differently, but this difference in maternal treatment is related to more sibling antagonism and prosocial behavior in the sibling relationship (Brody, Stoneman, & Burke, 1987; Brody, Stoneman, & McCoy, 1992a; Bryant & Crockenberg, 1980; Hetherington, 1988; Stocker, Dunn, & Plomin, 1989; Volling & Belsky, 1992), and to greater adjustment difficulties for the less favored child (Dunn, Stocker, & Plomin, 1990; McGuire, Dunn, & Plomin, 1995; Stocker, 1993, 1995). Although extensively studied, current evidence suggests that fathers also treat the older and younger child differently, and differential paternal treatment is also related to the quality of sibling interaction (Brody, Stoneman, & McCoy, 1992a; Volling & Belsky, 1992) and sibling adjustment outcomes (Stocker, 1995). Interestingly, several studies report that both parents tend to direct more affection, control, and responsive behavior to the younger child than the older child (Brody et al. …

Two-year-olds' conversations with their mothers and preschool-aged siblings

The pragmatics of sibling-infant and mother-infant conversations were compared. Sixteen children, 22 to 26 months of age, were videotaped for 15 minutes in dyadic interaction with their mothers and for 15 minutes in dyadic interaction with their preschool-aged siblings. Sibling-infant and mother-infant conversations were compared on three dimensions: quantitative characteristics, conversational style and conversational repair of potential breakdowns. Compared with mothers and infants, siblings and infants talked less and had shorter conversations. On an individual level, siblings asked fewer questions of the infants and issued more directives to them than did the mothers. Moreover, siblings failed to repair disruptions in conversations almost twice as often as mothers. The infants' conversational behaviours, however, did not differ when interacting with the siblings as opposed to the mothers. These results indicate that preschool-aged siblings are not yet adept at making the kinds of pragmatic adjustments in their speech that scaffold infants in their early conversational interactions. It is suggested that the experience later- born infants have with less responsive siblings may be valuable preparation for interacting with strangers, especially peers, who share many characteristics with siblings.

Joint Attention and Conversation in Mother-Infant-Sibling Triads

The current study investigated the general nature of joint attentional and conversational interaction in mother-infant-sibling triads. 9 19-month-old infants and 9 24-month-old infants were videotaped during 20 min of free play with their mothers and preschool-aged siblings around a common activity. Analyses revealed that even 19-month-old infants were capable of participating in triadic interactions and conversations, and that the proportional frequency of both these measures increased with age. Triadic conversations were nearly 3 times longer and elicited nearly twice as many infant turns per conversation as dyadic conversations. Infants were more likely to join into an ongoing conversational topic than to initiate one themselves, and they were more likely to take a turn in those conversations if they were in a joint attentional state with the speaker. Infants were just as likely to respond to a comment or request directed to another person as they were to one directed to themselves, indicating reliable comprehension of language not addressed to them. These results suggest that the mother-infant-sibling interactive context differs in important ways from the mother-infant dyadic context and that it is a richer language learning environment than previously supposed.

Preschool siblings of handicapped Children: Interactions with mothers, brothers, and sisters

The purpose of this investigation was to examine similarities and differences between young (aged 3 years to 6 years 9 months) siblings of handicapped and nonhandicapped children in their behavioral interactions with their mothers, brothers, and sisters. Behavior of mothers toward the different groups of children also was examined. Results revealed few differences between sibling groups in the quantity or quality of their interactions with family members. In comparison to the matched control children, siblings of handicapped children engaged in more parallel play and social play, and were more nurturing but no more likely to interact aggressively or to be commanding or directive with their brothers or sisters. Mothers in the experimental group were found to target significantly more nurturant behaviors toward their children compared to control mothers and were significantly more likely to deliver commands, directives, and reprimands to siblings of handicapped children than to any other child. Results are discussed in terms of their correspondence to previous observational and interview research.

Family Adaptation to Childhood Cancer: Sibling and Family Systems Variables

Assessed 25 preschool siblings and families of children with cancer and 25 preschool siblings and families of healthy children, using standardized measures of child adjustment and family adaptability and cohesion. Prosocial behavior and perceptions of similarity/difference in sibling pairs were also measured. Siblings' behavior, social competence, and self-perceptions in the oncology group were consistent with published norms and did not differ significantly from the comparison group. Rates of some prosocial behaviors were higher. The oncology group had more extreme levels of adaptability, and mothers were more likely to describe sibling pairs as "alike." There was a negative correlation between behavior problems and adaptability and cohesion in the oncology group. The results highlight potential competencies of young siblings o fill children and ways in which families of children with cancer adapt to the demands of illness and treatment.

Siblings as models in early infant learning.

4 groups of infants, 2 at 6 months and 2 at 12 months, were tested on the Stage IV-V and V-VI object concept tasks. All groups were then retested on the same tasks 1 week later. Retesting of the experimental groups was preceded by an all-correct demonstration of the 2 search tasks by the infant's preschool sibling; control groups were not exposed to any model prior to reassessment. No effect of exposure to the sibling model was initially found in either age group. If, however, infants' initial stage of development was taken into account, cognitive performance on the lower-level task did show a significant improvement after modeling. Overall, the results suggest that sibling modeling could possibly be an effective method of facilitating cognitive development in infancy, but that the success or failure of any modeling attempt may be stage- rather than age-dependent.