Sibling Dyads Research Articles

The economic burden of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A sibling comparison cost analysis

AimAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a lifespan disorder associated with considerable economic cost. While the economic burden of ADHD has been widely estimated, there is considerable variation in reported costs between studies, which typically focus on health outcomes only, lack adequate control and fail to correct for the influence of genetic and shared environmental factors. The aim of this study is to overcome these limitations to reach a fuller understanding of the economic burden of ADHD. MethodUsing the Danish National Registers 5269 adults with a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood who had not received a diagnosis in childhood were identified. Excluding cases with missing data, comorbid diagnoses, and cases without a same sex sibling free of any diagnosed psychiatric diagnoses, a final cohort was formed consisting of 460 sibling dyads. Using a cross-sectional method focusing on the year 2010, cost differences between each adult with ADHD and their sibling were calculated from data retrieved from health, education, crime, employment and social care registers. ResultsAdults with ADHD had considerably lower disposable income and paid less tax than their siblings. They also received more state benefits, had higher costs for health, social care, and crime than their siblings. The total average costs difference for the year 2010 was 20,134 euros more than their sibling for each adult with ADHD. ConclusionADHD is associated with considerable costs which are borne by both the individual and the state and underlines the need to consider the wider economic impact of ADHD beyond income and healthcare utilisation costs.

Perceived Physical Activity Barriers of Mexican-Heritage Sibling Dyads.

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) has been linked to many health benefits. Personal, social, and environmental factors can be barriers to PA and reduce odds of meeting PA recommendations. Sibling relationships have been shown to influence PA. This study evaluates PA barriers among siblings over 2 time periods. Methods: Eighty-seven sibling dyads from Mexican-heritage families residing in colonias along the Texas/Mexico border were recruited by promotora-researchers to complete a 21-item PA barrier survey during summer and the school year. Frequencies of responses for each barrier were calculated for older and younger siblings at both time periods. Concordance among sibling PA barriers was assessed using percent agreement and Cohen's kappa statistic (κ). We used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine differences in factor loadings based on season. We calculated mean subscale scores and compared scores using non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Weather, homework, and self-consciousness were most frequently reported barriers. Older siblings reported more barriers than younger siblings during the school year. EFA results suggest different scales for summertime and school year. Conclusions: Sibling relationships may affect perceptions of barriers to PA. Perception of barriers may need to be measured differently depending on season.

Siblings’ Appraisals of Fairness and Jealousy in Response to Parental Differential Treatment: Longitudinal Links to Mexican-Origin Emerging Adults’ Adjustment

Parents’ differential treatment (PDT) and their children’s appraisals of its fairness have been linked to adjustment across childhood and adolescence, primarily in Anglo American families. We extend this literature by studying Mexican-origin siblings’ appraisals of PDT fairness and jealousy toward siblings and their longitudinal links with emerging adult adjustment. Siblings’ familism values, sibling dyad gender constellation, and birth order were examined as moderators of these linkages. Participants were mothers, fathers, and two siblings from 246 Mexican-origin families who completed home interviews at three points in time across 8 years. Appraisals of mothers’ and fathers’ fairness in late adolescence (younger siblings)/emerging adulthood (older siblings) predicted siblings’ depressive symptoms 2 years later, but no relations emerged with jealousy. Familism values and sibling dyad gender constellation did not moderate these associations. Mothers’ and fathers’ differential conflict in early-/mid-adolescence predicted siblings’ risky behaviors in emerging adulthood. Discussion highlights the importance of PDT dynamics for emerging adults’ adjustment.

Mothers Use More Structure-Based Feeding in Firstborns Than Secondborn Siblings (P11-117-19)

ObjectivesTo explore the discordance of maternal feeding practices by birth order and weight status between FBs participating in the Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Health Trajectories (INSIGHT) trial and their secondborn (SB) siblings. MethodsStructure and control–based parent feeding practices were assessed at 1 year in FBs and SBs (subscales: limiting exposure to unhealthy foods, consistent meal routines, restriction and pressure to eat). Paired t-tests examined difference scores and correlations were compared between siblings. Subgroup analyses identified siblings that were discordant and concordant on weight status at 1 year (normal weight vs. at risk for overweight defined as weight for length ≥ 85th percentile, WHO growth charts). Results117 sibling dyads participated with SBs (57% female) born 2.5 ± 0.8 years after FBs (53% female). When each assessed at age 1 year, 22% of FBs and 27% of SBs were at risk for overweight. 63% of sibling dyads were both normal weight, 13% were both at risk for overweight, and 24% of siblings were weight status discordant. FB and SB feeding practices were correlated (range r = 0.34-0.64, all P < 0.01). Overall, mothers reported greater use of structure-based practices in FBs compared to SBs: limiting exposures to unhealthy foods (4.05 vs. 3.95, P < 0.01) and consistent meal routines (4.10 vs. 3.98, P < 0.01). Control-based feeding practices (restriction and pressure to eat) did not differ significantly by birth order. No differences existed by weight status (normal vs. at risk for overweight) between discordant pairs. Within sibling pairs that were both normal weight, mothers reported greater use of restriction in SBs compared to FBs (2.23 vs. 2.02, P = 0.01), but not pressure or structure-based practices. No differences in feeding were found in sibling pairs at risk for overweight. ConclusionsSBs may be exposed to more unhealthy foods and have less consistent meal routines due to increased responsibilities of parents with the addition of a second child. Responsive parenting guidance should consider evolving family dynamics, foods provided and feeding practices with increasing family size. Funding SourcesNational Institutes of Health.

The Relative Impacts of Sibling Relationships on Adolescent Body Perceptions

The sibling relationship is the longest relationship of the life course and has been found to influence youth adjustment (Dunn, 2002). Given that adolescence is a time of increased body awareness, the authors examined the potential role of siblings’ body conceptions and sibling relationship quality on adolescent body conceptions. In a sample of 101 predominantly White, middle-class adolescent sibling dyads, the authors found that positive sibling relationship quality was associated with higher physical self-worth in adolescents, but that this differed by sibling gender and sibling physical self-worth. Alternatively, negative sibling relationship quality was associated with lower physical self-worth for adolescents, but differed based on birth order, sibling physical self-worth, and adolescent gender.

Preschool Children’s Prosocial Responsiveness to Their Siblings’ Needs in Naturalistic Interactions: A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: Siblings’ interactions in early childhood may provide a unique context for understanding others’ needs and fostering prosociality. This 2-year longitudinal study examined children’s prosocial responsiveness to their siblings’ needs during naturalistic interactions. European-Canadian sibling dyads (N = 39) were observed in their homes for a total of 18 hours – when they were age 2 and 4 years and 2 years later. Prosocial opportunities were identified from children’s manifestations of need and coded for types of responses to such needs. Analyses indicated that younger siblings manifested more cues indicating a need. Siblings often expressed their needs explicitly through direct verbal or nonverbal requests. Alongside situational cues and parental intervention, direct verbal requests were particularly likely to elicit prosociality. Children engaged in helping more than sharing, followed by comforting and protecting. Opportunities to share were rejected more than other types of prosocial behaviors. With age, children were more likely to help, and less likely to refuse to share. With regards to birth order, 4-year-old firstborns engaged in helping, comforting, and protecting (but not sharing) more than 4-year-old secondborns. Practice or Policy: Findings have implications for parents by suggesting ways in which prosociality can be fostered within the sibling relationship in early childhood, and for researchers by extending recent theories of early prosociality from experimental settings to naturalistic interactions.

Case-contrast study about parent-infant interaction in a Brazilian sample of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present greater susceptibility to developmental problems, in comparison with siblings of typically developing children. The greater prevalence of mental health disorders among parents of children with ASD increases younger siblings' vulnerability to emotional problems. The aim of this study is to compare the interaction between carers and babies aged 2 to 26months (M = 11.7, SD = 6.9) who are siblings of children with ASD (ASD dyads) with the interaction of dyads of siblings of typically developing children (TD dyads). The protocol of Clinical Indicators of Risk for Child Development and the Coding Interactive Behaviour measures were used to evaluate interaction. ASD dyads presented higher scores of constriction in their interaction, P= .024, with babies presenting higher scores of withdrawal behavior, P= .003, and carers presenting higher scores of depressive mood, P= .008, when compared to TD dyads. The ASD dyads have interactive impairments more frequently than do the TD dyads.

Sibship, physical activity, and sedentary behavior: a longitudinal, observational study among Mexican-heritage sibling dyads

BackgroundShared genetic and environmental factors suggest that family relationships are important predictors of obesity-related behaviors, yet little is known about how siblings influence physical activity and sedentary behaviors. This study examined physical activity and sedentary behavior between sibling dyads across summer and fall time points and determined if birth order and gender modify the relationship between sibling behaviors.MethodsMexican-heritage families residing in colonias along the United States-Mexico border were recruited using promotoras de salud to participate in summer and school year surveys. Eighty-seven sibling dyads had complete data for the physical activity sub-study: 21 older brother-younger brother, 21 older brother-younger sister, 23 older sister-younger brother, and 22 older sister-younger sister dyads. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured using a validated 7-day recall instrument to create summary measures of weekly active, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) metabolic equivalents (MET), sitting, and screen time minutes. We used linear regression analyses to examine changes over time and the association between older and younger sibling behavior.ResultsDuring summer, older siblings (mean age = 11.2 years) reported 1069 active minutes and 1244 sitting minutes per week; younger siblings (mean age = 8.3 years) reported 1201 active minutes and 1368 sitting minutes per week. Younger brothers reported fewer active minutes (mean = − 459.6; p = 0.01) and fewer MVPA MET-minutes (mean = − 2261.7; p = 0.02) of physical activity during the fall. Within all 87 dyads, older sibling physical activity was significantly associated with younger sibling active minutes (B = 0.45;p = 0.004) and MET-minutes (B = 0.45;p = 0.003) during summer but not fall; older sibling sedentary behavior was significantly associated with younger sibling sitting (B = 0.23;p = 0.01) and screen time minutes (B = 0.23;p = 0.004) during fall but not summer. After stratifying by gender dyad groups, younger brother behavior was strongly associated with older brother behavior at both time points.ConclusionYounger siblings appear to emulate the physical activity behaviors of their older siblings during non-school summer months and sedentary behaviors of older siblings during school-time fall months, especially older brother-younger brother dyads. Family-based interventions to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior are growing in popularity, but more work is needed to understand the role of sibling influences.

Understanding Decision Making Among Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and Their Siblings.

Many siblings anticipate fulfilling caregiving roles for their brothers and sisters with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Given these roles and the importance of supported decision making, it is crucial to understand how individuals with IDD and their siblings make decisions. Using dyadic interviews, we examined the perspectives of nine sibling dyads ( N = 18) about decision making in relation to self-determination, independent living, and employment. The ages of participants ranged from 19 to 57. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis to identify themes. Decision making was characterized by: parents and siblings primarily identifying courses of action; the probability of respective consequences based on the person-environment fit; and the role of the sibling in making the final decision. Characteristics related to the individual with IDD, the family, the sibling, and the environment impacted decision making. Individuals with IDD were more likely to make their own decisions about leisure activities; however, siblings were more likely to make formal decisions for their brothers and sisters.

'H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, PEE! Get it? Pee!': Siblings' shared humour in childhood.

Humour is a central feature of social interactions in childhood that has received little attention. In a sample of 86 7-year-old children (M age=7.82years, SD=0.80), we investigated patterns and individual differences in spontaneous humour observed during free play with their older (M age=9.55years, SD=0.88) or their younger sibling (M age=5.87years, SD=0.96). We coded children's instances, categories, and responses to humour. We investigated the nature of children's humour on the dyadic and individual level. Humour was common, and siblings' production of humour was highly interdependent between play partners. Dyadic humour differed according to structural features of the sibling relationship (age, gender composition), and 7-year-old focal children's humour varied according to gender. This study contributes to knowledge regarding the dyadic nature of children's humour and individual patterns of humour beyond the preschool years. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Humour is an integral part of children's close and intimate interactions. Children produce humour from an early age and increasingly produce more complex humour as they develop. Few studies examine children's humour with siblings and beyond the fourth year of life. What does this study add? Children's humour during free play with siblings was common and highly dyadic. Sibling dyads' humour differed according to age and gender composition. Seven-year-old boys produced more humour than girls.

Theoretical and Clinical Foundations of Siblings in Therapy: Use of Parental Context in Adult Sibling Discord

A growing body of literature indicates that clinical attention to sibling relationship enhancement can be beneficial for relational outcomes and broader psychological well-being. Working with clients on strengthening their sibling relationship can impact not only the sibling dyad but can serve as an important source of support enhancing well-being and adjustment. In addition to a clinical review of the importance of integrating sibling relationship issues in therapy, the current paper highlights an effective therapeutic approach to sibling relationship discord including two case studies describing the effective integration of this modality.

Modulation of social behavior and dominance status by chronic pain in mice.

The potential influence of pain on social behavior in laboratory animals has rarely been evaluated. Using a new assay of social behavior, the tube co-occupancy test (TCOT), we assess propinquity-the tendency to maintain close physical proximity-in mice exposed to pain using subcutaneous zymosan or spared nerve injury as noxious stimuli. Our previous experience with the TCOT showed that outbred mouse sibling dyads show higher levels of tube co-occupancy than stranger dyads. We find here that long-lasting pain from spared nerve injury given to both mice in the dyad abolishes this effect of familiarity, such that strangers also display high levels of propinquity. We performed a separate experiment to assess the effect on dominance behavior of nerve injury to one or both mice of a dyad in which relative dominance status had been previously established via the confrontation tube test. We find that neuropathic pain given only to the dominant mouse reverses the relationship in male but not female mice, such that the previously subordinate mouse becomes dominant. These observations bolster the scant but growing evidence that pain can robustly affect social behavior in animals.

Trajectories of marital, parent-child, and sibling conflict during pediatric cancer treatment.

The stress of having a child with cancer can impact the quality of relationships within the family. The current study describes the longitudinal trajectory of marital, parent-child, and sibling conflict beginning around the time of diagnosis through the first year of treatment. We examined the average level of marital, parent-child, and sibling conflict at each monthly time point in the first year of treatment; the proportion of families that fall into the distressed range of marital, parent-child, and sibling conflict at each time point; the typical trajectory of conflict during the first year of treatment and whether there are differences in trajectories across families. A total of 160 families of children newly diagnosed with cancer (Mage = 5.6 years; range = 2-18 years) participated in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Primary caregivers provided monthly reports of marital, parent-child, and sibling conflict. Using multilevel modeling (MLM), most families showed stability in quality of family relationships, although considerable between-family variability was observed. For married couples, 25-36% of couples were in the distressed range at one time point over the first year of treatment. For married couples, more distress occurred at earlier months, particularly month 3. For parent-child and sibling dyads, the most difficult time periods were during later months. Implications for development of interventions that target at-risk family relationships are discussed. Identifying processes that predict between-family variability in trajectories of family relationships is an important next step, particularly for the marital relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record

Longitudinal Associations Between Sibling Relational Aggression and Adolescent Adjustment.

Sibling relational aggression is an important but understudied dimension of sibling relationships that has potential implications for adolescents' adjustment. This study examined the longitudinal associations between being the target of sibling relational aggression and adolescent adjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms, risky behavior, self-worth, and romantic competence) among younger and older siblings over a three-year period in adolescence. The moderating roles of birth order, sibling gender, and sibling dyad gender constellation also were tested. Participants were 196 European American adolescent (firstborn-secondborn) sibling pairs who were 16.47 years (SD = 0.80) and 13.88 years (SD = 1.15) of age, respectively, at the onset of this study. Data were collected separately from each sibling during home interviews. Multilevel models revealed that being the target of sibling relational aggression was associated with all four adjustment outcomes at the between-person level, and with risky behavior and romantic competence at the within-person level. However, some of these effects were moderated by sibling dyad characteristics. Although often overlooked in the literature on adolescence, sibling relationship dynamics play a key role in youth development and adjustment.

Interação fraternal quando um irmão tem síndrome de Down: Um estudo observacional

A qualidade da interação entre irmãos tem sido investigada há mais de três décadas, entretanto, poucos estudos focalizam a díade irmão com síndrome de Down (SD) - irmão com desenvolvimento típico (DT), especialmente, no Brasil. Este estudo objetivou descrever a interação entre nove díades de irmãos, com idades entre quatro e 13 anos, tendo um deles a SD. Foram gravadas, nas residências das díades, 27 sessões de observação do comportamento, totalizando 216 minutos. A análise das interações focalizou conteúdo e qualidade dos episódios, bem como categorias comportamentais de comando e responsividade. As díades se envolveram, principalmente, em atividades lúdicas, de forma ‘Conjunta’, com ‘Amistosidade’ e ‘Sincronia’. As interações tiveram ‘Supervisão’, ‘Liderança’ e emissão de comportamentos de comando do irmão com DT. Pode-se afirmar que, nessas famílias, a interação fraternal é caracterizada pela assimetria de papéis e positividade, não sendo prejudicada pela presença do irmão com SD.

Dyadic analysis of siblings' relationship quality, behavioural responses, and pain experiences during experimental pain.

Research on family factors in paediatric pain has primarily focused on parents; the role of siblings has been largely ignored. This study examined whether sibling relationship quality was related to siblings' behaviours during experimental pain, and whether the behaviours of an observing sibling were related to children's pain outcomes. Ninety-two sibling dyads between 8 and 12 years old completed both observational and questionnaire measures of sibling relationship quality. Children took turns completing the cold-pressor task (CPT) in a counterbalanced order with their sibling present. Pain outcomes (intensity, fear, and tolerance) were recorded for each sibling, and the behaviour of the observing and participating siblings during the CPT were coded as attending, nonattending, and coping/encouragement. Structural equation modelling, using the actor-partner interdependence model, was conducted to analyse the dyadic data. While participating in the CPT with their sibling present, greater levels of warmth and positivity in the sibling relationship were related to children engaging in more nonattending behaviours and less attending behaviours. Greater levels of attending behaviours by the observing child was related to the sibling having a lower pain tolerance, and greater levels of coping/encouragement behaviours by the observing child was related to the sibling reporting greater pain intensity and fear during the CPT. Children with warmer/positive sibling relationships were more likely to respond to acute pain by shifting the focus away from their pain experience (eg, through distraction) when a sibling was present. Pain-focused behaviours by an observing sibling are related to greater child pain and fear during experimental pain.

The “Negative Object” in Two Cases of Sibling Trauma

This article develops a method to address the impact of the negative (Green, 1997, 2002) in transference work with schizoid trauma survivors. Two such patients are presented, each of whom was in a kill-or-be-killed relationship with an elder brother. The author suggests that violent sibling dyads are powerful stimulators of schizoid shutdown, specifically because they are based on this black-or-white dilemma: kill-or-be-killed. It was crucial that the parents of both patients turned a blind eye to the abuse, allowing the violent elder sibling free reign over the younger. Both patients, therefore, had a double trauma to deal with: parental absence and sibling hatred. This formed a problematic object choice: absent parent or abusive sibling? The abusive elder siblings, though terrifying, were in effect all that these patients had.Introducing a new concept, the author suggests that the abusive elder siblings became negative objects—formless forces of affect, vaguely reflecting a dangerous historical object, yet erasing that object's human features. This process of depersonification is described as a method of schizoid shutdown. In both cases the negative object caused confusion and a sense of paralysis in the transference. The author describes a method for perceiving, and then repersonifying, the negative object. This brings both the predatory sibling and the absent parent back into the transference as human objects.

A dyadic analysis of power in sibling and friend conflict in early childhood

AbstractPower processes in siblings' and friends' conflict interactions are of significance for children's development and socialization. This study conducted a comparative analysis of power behaviours (resources and effectiveness) utilized by dyadic partners in sibling and friend conflict during early childhood when focal children were aged 4. The sample consisted of 65 families and included 347 sibling conflict sequences and 326 friend conflict sequences. Data based upon naturalistic observations were coded for resources of power and power effectiveness. Patterns of findings were identified in the conflict process. Specifically, dyads used simple demands most often, followed by coercive, then elaborated information, and finally questioning power. Despite similarities, sibling dyads used coercive power and negative reward power more often than friends. Regarding power effectiveness, sibling and friend dyads were most effective using coercive power, followed by elaborated, and then questioning power. These findings provide strong support for the importance of taking the dyadic relationship context into account when studying the power process in children's interactions.Highlights How does siblings' and friends' dyadic use of power resources and effectiveness differ in the process and outcome of conflict in early childhood? Data were based upon naturalistic observations of conflict, and findings provide strong support for dyadic analyses when studying the power process in siblings and friends interactions. The findings provide new and novel insights regarding children's agency in conflict, thus highlighting the contributions of children to their own socialization process.

The Correlation between Methadone Dosages among Pairs of Heroin Users in Romantic Relationships and among Pairs of Heroin Users Who Are Siblings

This study explores whether an individual’s methadone dose is influenced by the level of another individual’s dose as a function of their relationship. Thirty-four subjects were recruited in this study; 16 subjects were in a partner relationship and 18 subjects were siblings. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the dose of one member of the dyad was a predictor of the dose of the other member of the dyad. Mean difference in dose was negatively associated with the correlation coefficient in sibling dyads but not partner dyads. Analysis of the dose curves showed that all partner dyads demonstrated a “collinearity pattern” or “coexistence pattern,” but a “distinct trend pattern” was only noted in sibling dyads. Our results suggest that there is a relationship between the methadone doses of members of a dyad and that this phenomenon is more remarkable in partnership dyads than sibling dyads.

Sibling Relationships: Parent-Child Agreement and Contributions of Siblings With and Without ASD.

Research on the experiences of siblings of individuals with ASD and the quality of their sibling relationships has yielded mixed results. The present study examined the significance of parent-versus child-report of both positive and negative behaviors exhibited by siblings and their brothers and sisters with ASD within sibling dyads. Findings indicated that siblings were more positive in their assessment of the sibling relationship than were their parents. Siblings exhibited more positive behaviors within the sibling relationship than did their brothers and sisters with ASD, and were recipients of aggression. These findings are consistent with prior research suggesting that siblings tend to take on a caretaking role, and point to important targets for intervention.