Negative Sibling Research Articles

The influence of sibling relationship quality on the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children and adolescents: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Families play a pivotal role in the development of social-emotional outcomes. Recent research indicates that sibling relationship quality plays a particularly important role in child and adolescent social, emotional, and behavioral development. To date, there are few studies that have translated this information in a manner that is useful for professionals working with children, adolescents, and their families. The present scoping review aims to fill this gap in the literature. Twenty-three empirical studies published between 1990 and 2021 were reviewed and synthesized. Results highlighted the unique ways that sibling negativity and positivity influence the development of social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Namely, sibling negativity was found to play a primary role in influencing adverse outcomes, such as internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and social difficulties. However, in some cases, sibling positivity was found to decrease the incidence of these outcomes. Sibling positivity was also found to be a protective factor in the context of adverse life events, such as trauma. Results indicate a need for assessment strategies aimed at identifying problematic sibling relationship qualities. Additionally, results support the need for interventions that reduce sibling negativity and promote sibling positivity that can be delivered by professionals as well as families.

Maternal depression or anxiety during pregnancy and offspring type 1 diabetes: a population-based family-design cohort study

IntroductionTo investigate the association between maternal depression/anxiety during pregnancy and offspring type 1 diabetes, to assess the specific importance of exposure during pregnancy by comparing across different exposure periods before...

In utero exposure to ADHD medication and long-term offspring outcomes.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication is increasingly being used during pregnancy. Concerns have been raised as to whether ADHD medication has long-term adverse effects on the offspring. The authors investigated whether in utero exposure to ADHD medication was associated with adverse long-term neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes in offspring. The population-based cohort study in the Danish national registers included 1,068,073 liveborn singletons from 1998 to 2015 followed until any developmental diagnosis, death, emigration, or December 31, 2018. Children of mothers who continued ADHD medication (methylphenidate, amphetamine, dexamphetamine, lisdexamphetamine, modafinil, atomoxetine, clonidine) during pregnancy and children of mothers who discontinued ADHD medication before pregnancy were compared using Cox regression. Main outcomes were neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, impairments in vision or hearing, epilepsy, seizures, or growth impairment during childhood or adolescence. In total, 898 children were exposed to ADHD medication during pregnancy compared to 1270 children whose mothers discontinued ADHD medication before pregnancy. After adjustment for demographic and psychiatric characteristics of the mother, no increased risk of any offspring developmental disorders was found combined (aHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.17) or for separate subcategories. Similarly, no increased risk was found for any sub-categories of outcomes in the negative control or sibling controlled analyses. Neurodevelopment and growth in offspring do not differ based on antenatal exposure to ADHD medication. These findings provide reassurance for women with ADHD who depend on ADHD medication for daily functioning and who consider continuing medication in pregnancy.

Correlates of Latina college students' dyadic coping with sisters

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined Latina college students' perceptions of sisters' dyadic coping behaviors following stress disclosure, and how dyadic coping behaviors were associated with sibling relationship characteristics and familism values.BackgroundSibling relationships are protective when college students experience adversity.MethodThe sample included 195 Latina college students (Mage = 23.25 years, SD = 1.93) and path analysis was conducted to address the study goals.ResultsLatina college students perceived high levels of supportive, delegated, and common dyadic coping behaviors and moderate levels of negative dyadic coping behaviors from their sisters. Latina college students who lived with their sisters perceived more delegated dyadic coping behaviors than those who lived apart. Sibling intimacy was positively associated with perceptions of sisters' supportive, delegated, and common dyadic coping, but was not associated with negative dyadic coping behaviors. Sibling negativity was negatively associated with perceptions of sisters' supportive and common dyadic coping behaviors and positively associated with perceptions of sisters' negative dyadic coping behaviors. Further, Latina college students' stronger endorsement of familism values was associated with greater perceptions of sisters' supportive, delegated, and common dyadic coping behaviors.ConclusionOverall, our study showed that Latina college students perceived dyadic coping behaviors from their sisters, which were associated with aspects of their sibling relationship and their endorsement of familism values.ImplicationsContinuing to examine dyadic coping in siblings is important as it may have implications for family‐focused prevention and intervention programs.

Maternal infection during pregnancy and likelihood of autism and intellectual disability in children in Sweden: a negative control and sibling comparison cohort study

Maternal infections during pregnancy are associated with intellectual disability and autism in exposed children. Whether these associations are causal, and therefore should be targets of preventive strategies, remains unknown. We aimed to investigate these associations, to determine whether there is a causal role of maternal infection during pregnancy for children's risk of autism and intellectual disability, by accounting for unmeasured familial factors. We used a register-based cohort study design, and included children living in Stockholm County, Sweden, who were born in 1987-2010. We excluded children not born in Sweden, adopted children, and children with unknown biological mothers or fathers. Maternal infections during pregnancy, defined by ICD-8, ICD-9, and ICD-10 codes, were identified in the National Patient Register and Medical Birth Register. Children were followed up from birth to an outcome or a censoring event (death, migration from Stockholm, age 18 years, or Dec 31, 2016, whichever occurred first). The primary outcomes were diagnosis of autism or diagnosis of intellectual disability. We did a survival analysis to examine the association between inpatient and outpatient specialised care for any infection during pregnancy and likelihood of autism or intellectual disability in the child. To address potential residual confounding, we also estimated the relationship between maternal infection in the year preceding pregnancy as a negative control exposure and conducted a matched sibling analysis of sibling pairs who were discordant for autism or intellectual disability. 647 947 children living in Stockholm County were identified and, after excluding 97 980 children, we included 549 967 in the study (267 995 [48·7%] were female and 281 972 [51·3%] were male; mean age at censoring 13·5 years [SD 5·0; range <1 to 18]; 142 597 [25·9%] had a mother who was not born in Sweden). 445 (1·3%) of 34 013 children exposed to maternal infection during pregnancy were diagnosed with intellectual disability and 1123 (3·3%) with autism. 5087 (1·0%) of 515 954 unexposed children were diagnosed with intellectual disability and 13 035 (2·5%) with autism. Maternal infection during pregnancy was associated with autism (hazard ratio [HR] 1·16, 95% CI 1·09-1·23) and intellectual disability (1·37, 1·23-1·51) in exposed children compared with unexposed children. Maternal infection in the year before pregnancy (negative control exposure) was also associated with autism (HR 1·25, 95% CI 1·14-1·36), but was not associated with intellectual disability (1·09, 0·94-1·27). In sibling comparisons, the associations with maternal infection during pregnancy were attenuated for autism (HR 0·94, 95% CI 0·82-1·08; n=21 864), but not to the same extent for intellectual disability (1·15, 0·95-1·40; n=9275). Although infections in pregnant women are associated with both autism and intellectual disability in their children, the association with autism does not appear to reflect a causal relationship, but is more likely to be explained by factors shared between family members such as genetic variation or aspects of the shared environment. Thus, infection prevention is not expected to reduce autism incidence. For intellectual disability, unmeasured familial factors might not fully explain the observed associations, and a causal role of maternal infections cannot be excluded. Causal effects of specific but rare infections or infections not requiring health care contact cannot be excluded in either autism or intellectual disability. Swedish Research Council, Stanley Medical Research Institute, and Autism Speaks. For the Swedish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Bidirectional Links Between Sibling Aggression and Victimization

ABSTRACT Research evaluating the deleterious effects of negative sibling dynamics has been limited, likely due to social acceptance of sibling conflict. This is a notable omission in the literature, as siblings play a major role in youth development. The current study sought to advance the literature by longitudinally examining the bidirectional links between sibling aggression and victimization. Further, anger dysregulation was examined as a potential moderator of these links. Youth (n = 323, M = 9.28 years; 55% male) completed measures at baseline and 6 months later. Sibling reactive, not proactive, aggression was associated with increases in both sibling physical and relational victimization. There were marginally statistically significant trends for sibling relational victimization to be associated with increases in sibling reactive aggression and for sibling physical victimization to be associated with decreases in sibling proactive aggression. No moderating effects of anger dysregulation were evident. Consistent with the peer relationship literature, results clearly indicate that reactive aggression toward sibling puts youth at increased risk for victimization from siblings, suggesting that reactive aggression among siblings is one target of prevention to reduce risk for subsequent victimization. Thus, aggression and victimization among siblings is important to address.

Negative messages from parents and sisters and Latina college students’ body image shame

Using the sociocultural model and risk and resilience theory, we examined the moderating role of Latinas’ family relationship quality on the associations between negative eating and weight messages from fathers, mothers, and sisters, and Latinas’ body image shame. Utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk, we recruited a sample of 195 Latina young adults (Mage = 23.24, range = 18 −25; SD = 1.95; 67.4 % Mexican-origin) who reported retrospectively on negative appearance-related messages from each family member (i.e., fathers, mothers, and sisters), positive (e.g., parental warmth and sibling intimacy) and negative (i.e., parental psychological control and sibling negativity) relationship quality with parents and sisters, and current body image shame. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that negative eating and weight messages from fathers, mothers, and sisters and sibling negativity were positively and significantly associated with Latinas’ body image shame. Further, we found that under conditions of high paternal psychological control but not low, the associations between fathers’ messages and Latinas’ body image shame were strengthened. For mothers, under conditions of low maternal psychological control but not high, the associations between mothers’ messages and Latinas’ body image shame were strengthened. Our findings reveal that family members’ negative comments are harmful for Latinas’ body image.

Daily links between Latinx siblings' relationship qualities and mood.

This study examined daily links between sibling warmth and negativity and positive and negative mood in middle childhood and the moderating role of enculturation. Participants were 326 Latinx children from 163 families in the United States (Mage =10.63 and 8.58years for older and younger siblings, 48.5% female, 89.3% Mexican-origin). Children reported their days' experiences during seven nightly phone interviews conducted in 2018-2019. Multilevel analyses revealed within-person, positive associations between daily sibling warmth and positive mood , and sibling negativity and negative mood . Moreover, for more enculturated children, odds of positive mood were lower on days when they experienced more sibling negativity than usual. Findings document the significance of Latinx children's daily sibling experiences.

Implications of COVID-19 school closures for sibling dynamics among U.S. Latinx children: A prospective, daily diary study.

This study aimed to illuminate the implications of COVID-19 school closures for sibling dynamics among Latinx school-age children in the U.S. and to examine family and cultural factors that may have conditioned school closure effects. Data came from an ongoing study of Latinx families in Arizona that collected home visit and survey data prepandemic (fall 2019; T1) and daily diary data during the outbreak (February to May 2020; T2). The analyses focused on 215 Latinx children (47% female; Mage = 9.72, SD = 1.22; 88% Mexican-origin) from 116 families (T1 family income median = $27,600, SD = $24,421). Multilevel tobit regression models were estimated to examine associations linking both T2 school closure and number of days since school closure with daily sibling positivity and negativity. The models also tested moderation effects of T1 family socioeconomic status, sibship size, child enculturation, and prior sibling positivity and negativity on these associations. Results showed that, although main effects of school closure on sibling dynamics were nonsignificant, school closure was linked to more sibling positivity in families with more children and among more enculturated children, and days since school closure was linked to more sibling positivity in families with more children and to lower sibling negativity among those with less prepandemic sibling negativity. Findings highlight differentiated effects of COVID-19 school closures on sibling dynamics among Latinx children whose families have been disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, illuminate the role of Latinx family cultural strengths, and have implications for intervention programs and public policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

1.2 APPROACHES TO SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE PARENT MANAGEMENT BEYOND THE IDENTIFIED PATIENT

The siblings of children with significant externalizing behaviors can be recipients of bullying and harm from their distressed sibling. Child and adolescent psychiatrists support the child in various ways in the office, but it is difficult to identify ways to support parents in mitigating distress in the home toward the other siblings. Common parenting and sibling tensions and conflicts in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic will be highlighted. Larry Mitnaul, MD, will briefly review the literature on the role of siblings in the development of externalizing behaviors during childhood and adolescence. Dr. Mitnaul will survey the family, parent-led, and sibling-focused interventions that are evidence-based that can be applied to a family system that has at least 1 child with externalizing behaviors. Dr. Mitnaul will discuss practical strategies and resources to diffuse tension and optimize healthier interactions between siblings, which the audience can then utilize with children and their families in diverse clinical settings. Participants will gain ideas for better identifying sibling negativity, coercive sibling interactions, and collusions that are associated with a conduct problem. Participants will improve their knowledge and gain practical therapeutic techniques to help patients and their families in the understanding and management of sibling dynamics, as well as parenting skills. Child and adolescent psychiatrists support siblings of children with externalizing behaviors. Attendees will be more informed regarding the literature on sibling relationships of children with these behaviors. Attendees will have a greater understanding of the strategies, resources, and practical skills to support siblings of children with externalizing behaviors and their families.

Child Sleep Linked to Child and Family Functioning in Children with Down Syndrome.

Sleep problems have a bi-directional impact on the daytime performance of children, parental well-being, and overall family functioning in the general population. Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at a high risk of sleep problems, yet the relationship between sleep problems, adaptive functioning, and family stress in children with DS is not well documented. We examined the relationship between sleep (i.e., duration and quality) and child and parent/family functioning. Sixty-six children with DS wore an actigraph for a week to assess their sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Their parents completed ratings on child sleep duration and parasomnias, child adaptive functioning, parental depression and sleep, and family stress. The parents’ reports of their children’s sleep duration were associated with parental depressive symptoms. The parents’ reports of their children’s restless sleep behaviors were associated with poorer performances in child-compliant/calm behaviors, worse parental sleep, and negative parental feelings and sibling relationships. The findings from actigraph measures of the children’s sleep demonstrated that greater sleep efficiency was associated with greater child adaptive functioning and fewer parental depressive symptoms. The study findings provide preliminary evidence that sleep problems are related to child adaptive functioning, parental functioning, and family stress in children with DS.

Quality over quantity? Using sibling comparisons to examine relations between sleep quality, sleep duration, and delinquency

RationaleA growing body of research suggests that adolescents with problematic sleep patterns are more likely to engage in externalizing and delinquent behaviors. Few studies, however, have examined the role of between- and within-family effects on this association to establish whether poor sleep is related to delinquency after controlling for familial confounding. ObjectiveThe current study examines the relationship between self-reported restless sleep, sleep duration, and delinquency from ages 16–19 in a population-based sample of U.S. youth. MethodsData from full siblings from the Children and Young Adult sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979) (CNLSY) are analyzed. Negative binomial regression models and sibling comparisons are estimated to assess between- and within-family effects of sleep on delinquency during ages 16–17. Sibling comparison cross-lagged models are then fitted to the data to examine whether sibling differences in sleep are related to sibling differences in changes in delinquency from ages 16–19. ResultsSiblings with higher levels of self-reported restless sleep were more likely to report higher levels of delinquency at ages 16–17, net of observable covariates and unobservable familial confounders. Sibling differences in restless sleep at ages 16–17 were also associated with increases in delinquency at ages 18–19 after controlling for familial confounding and temporal stability in both sleep and delinquent behavior. ConclusionsFindings suggest that perhaps sleep quality, rather than sleep duration, should be the primary target for intervention/prevention programming efforts for adolescent delinquency.

A Family Socialization Model of Transdiagnostic Risk for Psychopathology in Preschool Children.

This longitudinal study examined the presence of general (P) and specific internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) psychopathology factors in a community sample of preschool children. We assessed child and contextual correlates of P, INT, and EXT, and tested a model connecting socioeconomic risk to these factors through family socialization processes and child cognitive abilities. Participants were 501 children recruited at birth and followed up at 18months and 3years. Child and family functioning were measured using parental reports, observation, and standardized assessments. Both mothers and their partners reported on children's mental health, permitting the estimation of a trifactor model of psychopathology that captured caregivers' shared and unique perspectives with respect to P, INT, and EXT. Results revealed several transdiagnostic correlates of the common-perspective P factor, including family income, maternal education, maternal depression, and maternal responsiveness, as well as marginal associations with sibling negativity and children's language and theory of mind abilities. Several shared and unique correlates of INT and EXT were also observed. Structural equation modelling revealed that the effects of family income and maternal education on P operated indirectly through maternal responsiveness, while the effects of maternal education on INT and EXT operated through maternal reflective capacity, albeit in opposite directions. Together, these results suggest that the effects of socioeconomic disadvantage on general psychopathology are organized in a temporal cascade from distal to proximal risk.

The Moderating Role of Self-Disclosure Among Typically Developing Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Typically developing siblings (TDS) of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have high caregiving responsibilities for parents (parent-focused parentification; PFP) or siblings (sibling-focused parentification; SFP). Prior research demonstrates that PFP is associated with TDS’ adjustment risk whereas SFP is associated with positive sibling relationships and social support moderates these associations. The purpose of the present study (N = 108) was to extended prior work by examining self-disclosure of worries about siblings with ASD to parents as a moderator between both parentification roles and TDS’ relational and adjustment outcomes. TDS college students ages 18 to 24 (M = 20.37, SD = 1.55) completed online surveys assessing parentification, disclosure, negative sibling interactions, depressive symptoms, well-being, and self-esteem. High disclosure to parents was protective against risk to well-being at high levels of PFP, which suggests a family pattern in which TDS’ caregiving is reciprocated by parents to underscore the importance of parents as a critical source of social support for TDS during the transition to adulthood. The impact of disclosure was more nuanced in the context of sibling-focused parentification; high disclosure to parents was associated with risk to sibling relationships at high levels of SFP and enhanced well-being at low levels of SFP, suggesting that the benefit of self-disclosure is not maintained when TDS’ responsibilities for siblings are too great.

Parental awareness of sibling adjustment: Perspectives of parents and siblings of children with cancer.

Childhood cancer is a significant psychosocial stressor, and sibling adjustment ranges from resilience to clinically significant psychopathology. Siblings and parents often describe siblings' psychosocial functioning differently, which may reflect parental unawareness of siblings' adjustment to cancer and increase the risk for negative sibling outcomes. The present study characterizes siblings' and parents' perceptions of parents' awareness of siblings' psychosocial functioning and describes how family functioning influences parental awareness. Parents (N = 13) and siblings (N = 17, ages 8-17) from 13 families completed in-depth qualitative interviews regarding siblings' psychosocial adjustment to cancer. Interviews were coded for dimensions of family functioning based on the McMaster Model and analyzed using applied thematic analysis. Families were stratified based on higher or lower levels of parental awareness (i.e., knowledge of the presence, severity, or content of siblings' cancer-related feelings). Themes related to communication, affective involvement, roles, problem-solving, and affective responsiveness influenced parental awareness. Parental awareness was hindered by siblings' reluctance to communicate their feelings to parents due to the messages they received about cancer (e.g., be positive/helpful), siblings' hesitancy to rely on parents for emotional support, and parents not consistently asking about siblings' emotions. Additionally, parents' cancer-related stress and family disruptions reduced parental focus on siblings and decreased parents' tolerance of siblings' negative emotions. Higher parental awareness was facilitated by closer relationships prediagnosis, consistent communication, and affective problem-solving in response to cancer-related changes. Findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the family processes underlying parental awareness and inform best practices for sibling assessment and support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of siblings in the development of externalizing behaviors during childhood and adolescence: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Siblings play a critical role in children’s behavioral development; yet sibling-focused assessment and intervention for youth behavior concerns are uncommon in social work practice settings. To address this research-to-practice gap a scoping review of research focused on siblings and the development of externalizing behaviors in childhood and adolescence was conducted. Forty-three empirical studies published between 1997 and 2017 were reviewed and synthesized. Results illuminated a number of processes through which siblings influenced the development of externalizing behaviors. Identified behavioral domains included conduct problems, substance use, and sibling abuse. Sibling negativity and hostility, coercive sibling interactions, and sibling collusion were consistently associated with the development of conduct problems. Substance use behaviors were primarily influenced via sibling role modeling, social reinforcement, facilitating access, and co-use. Moderating effects of parental involvement, peer influence, sibling age range, and sibling gender composition were also observed. Less research was conducted on the processes underpinning sibling abuse, although prevalence studies suggest high rates of sibling victimization, particularly among close-age siblings and male-male dyads. Results indicate the need for social workers to consider both the characteristics of sibling groups and the quality of sibling relationships when assessing and intervening to prevent and address externalizing behavior problems in children and adolescents.

Parental self-efficacy and comforting behaviour of the firstborn children in different situations: the mediating role of sibling relationships

ABSTRACT Parents and siblings play a vital role in promoting and inhibiting the development of comforting behaviour – a typical prosocial behaviour. This study aims to explore the dual mediating model of positive and negative sibling relationships between parental self-efficacy (PSE) and firstborn children’s comforting behaviours. We enrolled 163 firstborn children aged 4–6 years. The firstborn children scored significantly higher in comforting behaviour in a ‘toy damage’ task than that in a ‘physical harm’ task. Moreover, PSE promoted the development of children’s comforting behaviour through a positive sibling relationship and weakened the development of children’s comforting behaviour through a negative sibling relationship, revealing the internal mechanism of sibling relationship’s two-way influence on firstborn children’s comforting behaviour. Comparatively, no significant difference was noted in the mediating effect between positive and negative sibling relationships, providing clues for future intervention studies.

Family negativity and delinquent behavior in adolescence: a predictive multivariate latent growth analysis

ABSTRACT The current study had three aims: (1) to explore whether there is over-time change in adolescent delinquency and negativity in the parent–adolescent, sibling and marital relationships during adolescence; (2) to examine the interactions of negativity across subsystems; and (3) to examine whether levels and changes in adolescent delinquency are predicted by levels and changes in negativity in all family subsystems. Data of 497 families participating in the RADAR-young study were used. Ratings of all family members were used to measure negativity in family relationships, and adolescent self-report was used for delinquency. Multivariate latent growth curve models showed over-time increases in mother-adolescent negativity and over-time decreases in sibling negativity, as well as significant individual differences in these changes. Second, evidence for both social contagion and compensatory processes in family negativity was found. Third, initial levels of parent–adolescent negativity were related to initial levels but not over-time changes of adolescent delinquency, whereas initial levels of sibling negativity were related to over-time changes but not initial levels of adolescent delinquency. Finally, increases in parent–adolescent negativity were related to faster increases in adolescent delinquency, and decreases in sibling negativity were related to slower increases in adolescent delinquency. Implications of these results are discussed.

Sibling Relationships, Personality Traits, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties in Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study focused on parents’ perceptions of the quality of sibling relationship and its association with some behavioral and emotional characteristics of the typically developing sibling. The participants were parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing siblings. The sample size was 43. The group comprised 14 fathers (32.6%) and 29 mothers (67.4%) aged 33–53 years (M=43.56; SD = 5.23). The parents completed measures of siblings’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, siblings’ personality, and sibling relationships and their impact on families and siblings. The results showed that behavioral difficulties such as emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer relationship problems were significantly associated with negative sibling relationships—characterized by rivalry, aggression, avoidance, and teaching behavior toward the brother or sister with an autism spectrum disorder. The implications are that sibling-focused interventions should focus on improving negative sibling relationships to reduce the impact on the difficulties of the typical development of the sibling of both genders and shape the content and delivery framework accordingly. This can be done by providing skills and approaches for enhancing sibling relationships so both parties benefit.

Familism, sibling relationship qualities, and sibling sex constellation as predictors of alcohol use among Mexican-origin adolescents.

Sibling relationship qualities and traditional family values (i.e., familism) are contextual factors relevant for early substance use risk among Mexican-origin adolescents. Yet limited research has examined whether familism moderates the effects of sibling relationship features on alcohol use. The present study examined whether familism enhanced or reduced the effects of sibling intimacy, negativity, and sibling deviance on later alcohol use, also testing whether sibling sex constellation (sisters, brothers, mixed) modified the patterns of influence. We analyzed two waves of data (N = 404) from the California Families Project, a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth. Using zero-inflated Poisson models, we examined unique and intersecting prospective influences of age 14 sibling contexts and familism on the likelihood of and degree of engagement in alcohol use at age 16. Results indicated a complex interplay of sibling features, familism values, and alcohol use patterns. Familism moderated the effects of sibling intimacy on later alcohol use patterns. For those with lower familism, increasing intimacy was associated with higher probability of any use, but decreasing degree of use (especially for brother pairs and sister pairs). Among those with higher familism, increasing intimacy predicted reduced probability of any use, but increases in the degree of use (for sister and mixed pairs). More sibling negativity was related to reduced alcohol use probability for brothers, and increased alcohol use in mixed sibling pairs. Sibling deviance was associated with greater age 16 alcohol use. This study highlights cultural considerations for including siblings in substance use prevention programs for Mexican-origin youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).