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Differential Effects of Perceptions of Mothers' and Fathers' Favoritism on Sibling Tension in Adulthood
Abstract and Figures
Objectives:
We examine the differential effects of perceived maternal and paternal favoritism in adulthood on sibling tension in adulthood.
Method:
Data used in the analysis were collected from 341 adult children nested within 137 later-life families as part of the Within-Family Differences Study.
Results:
Adult children's perceptions that their fathers currently favored any offspring in the family predicted reports of tension with their siblings, whereas perceptions of mothers' favoritism did not. Fathers' favoritism was a stronger predictor of daughters' than sons' reports of sibling tension.
Discussion:
These findings contribute to a growing body of research demonstrating the consequences of parental favoritism in adulthood. Equally important, they demonstrate that perceptions of fathers' current favoritism plays an even greater role in shaping their adult children's sibling relations than do mothers' favoritism.
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... We explore girl-boy discrimination as manifested in parents' purchase decisions on behalf of their children, because we believe having a better understanding of this societal phenomenon is important for several reasons. First, girl-boy discrimination generates enduring but adverse social impact on societal development and growth (Suitor et al. 2008, Gilligan et al. 2013. In fact, discrimination against girls can begin as early as the prenatal stage by parental discretionary sex selection before birth. ...
... On postnatal matters, PDT was shown to have a long-lasting impact on a child into adulthood. Studies showed that PDT negatively affected children's relationships with siblings as well as parents continuing into their adulthood (Boll et al. 2003, Gilligan et al. 2013). In addition, research has suggested that the least-favored children experience lower levels of selfesteem and sense of social responsibility and higher levels of aggression, depression, and bad behavior as adults (Feinberg et al. 2001, Suitor et al. 2008. ...
The phenomenon of child gender discrimination is investigated and verified using online purchase data of children’s clothing in China.
... Most research that has examined the consequences of parental differential treatment has utilized social exchange concepts of equity and social comparison to understand how children's perceptions of being over-or under-benefited have an impact on relational, psychological, and physical well-being (Suitor et al., 2008). The literature has demonstrated that in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, siblings feel and express less warmth and more hostility toward one another when a parent favors one child over others (Boll, Ferring, & Filipp, 2003, 2005Brody, Stoneman, & McCoy, 1994;Gilligan, Suitor, Kim, & Pillemer, 2013;Stocker et al., 2020;Suitor et al., 2009). Interestingly, in one study of middle-aged adults, recollections of PDT in childhood were more strongly associated with sibling relationship quality than were current perceptions (Suitor et al., 2009). ...
... In particular, there is a growing body of research on parental differential treatment and adult sibling relationships. Much of this work has drawn from social exchange theory concepts of social comparison and equity to examine the consequences of perceptions of PDT on sibling relationships quality (Gilligan, Suitor, Kim, & Pillemer, 2013;Suitor et al., 2009). However, this work has largely focused on how parents' influence sibling outcomes. ...
Sibling relationships, the longest‐lasting relationships in most people's lives, have been understudied compared to other family relationships. The goal of this review is to increase understanding of sibling relationships from midlife to older adulthood by integrating aspects of psychological and sociological theories, including social exchange, family systems, and life course perspectives, to better understand the structure, function, processes, and meaning of sibling relationships in middle and later life. This theoretical integration promotes a comprehensive study of sibling relationships by considering individual and family characteristics as well as the broader social and cultural contexts in which sibling ties are situated. Further, this integration facilitates the study of sibling relationships across time. In addition to reviewing current knowledge about sibling relationships in adulthood, we discuss directions for future research, the methodological practices necessary to advance this research, and the translational significance of research on adult sibling relationships for aging populations.
... Conversely, it has been found that sibling discord in adulthood negatively affects the family and individual well-being (Schulman, 1999;Paul, 1997). A limited number of studies examine sibling rivalry based on parental favoritism of adult children (Gilligan et al., 2013;Suitor et al., 2009). Favoritism might decrease toward adulthood in sibling relationships with age. ...
Research on sibling dynamics and their outcomes in married adults is limited. The primary objective of this study was to assess how relationships with same and different-sex siblings explain the state of wellness and marital satisfaction in adulthood. Furthermore, the study aimed to evaluate the effects of early childhood sibling relationships on adult well-being and to assess the meditative role of adult sibling relationship characteristics on this effect. A total of 344 married adults participated in the study, 237 of whom (68.9%) were women. The Adult Sibling Relationship-Short Form (ASRQ-SF), Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale (LSRS), Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI), and Wellness Scale for Emerging Adults (WSEA) indices were used to assess study variables. Results indicated that intimacy between different-sex siblings (brother-sister) predicted marital satisfaction. Furthermore, conflict between same-sex siblings (sister-sister) and intimacy between different-sex siblings (sister-brother, brother-sister) predicted wellness. Additionally, recalled childhood sibling relationship characteristics had significant effects on wellness and that sibling relationship characteristics in adulthood partially mediated this relationship. These results are considered within the framework of sibling relationship development within Turkish culture.
... Although no studies have examined the relationship between PDT and estrangement, parental preference of one sibling over another is linked to poorer sibling relationships from early childhood through adolescence (Richmond, Stocker, & Rienks, 2005;Shanahan, McHale, Crouter, & Osgood, 2008). Likewise, in adulthood, sibling relationship quality diminishes with increased parental favouritism (Gilligan, Suitor, Kim, & Pillemer, 2013;Jensen, Whiteman, Fingerman, & Birditt, 2013) and is PDT is associated with reduced psychological well-being (Jensen, Nielson, & Yorgason, 2019;Pillimer, Suitor, & Henderson, 2010;Suitor et al., 2017). It is not just current perceptions of differential treatment that affects psychological wellbeing and the quality of the sibling relationship in adulthood, but brothers and sisters' recollections of differential treatment in childhood (Peng, Suitor, & Gilligan, 2018;Suitor et al., 2009). ...
Relationships between siblings have been described as the longest lasting an individual can have, yet siblings both can and do become estranged from one another in adulthood. An online survey was disseminated to individuals who had sought support from the charity Stand Alone, which supports individuals who are experiencing family estrangement. Individuals estranged from one full genetic sister and/or brother were asked to describe the relationship in their own words. Open-text responses were thematically analysed from 291 respondents. Family systems were described as being characterised by estrangements, alliances and conflicts; there was variation in the participant’s preferences regarding reconciliation; and most respondents focused on describing their sibling’s challenging or disappointing characteristics and behaviour. The fact that siblings both can and do become estranged challenges commonly held assumptions about family relationships, confirming that they are not necessarily or always life-long, significant or supportive.
Through this chapter, a broad view is provided on how motherly and fatherly favoritism, jealousy, conflict, and aggression manifest in sibling dyads. Key research on understanding these variables is cited, along with literature generated within the context of Mexican culture that gives meaning to these variables and discusses their particularities. Additionally, for each of these aspects, measures designed and validated specifically for emerging adults from this cultural group are presented. The aim is to gain a deeper and broader understanding of the emic manifestation of these aspects. With valid and reliable psychological tests, this chapter aimed to investigate the prediction of aggression based on other variables in sisters, brothers, and siblings. Interestingly, it was found that possession (a jealousy factor) predicts sibling aggression in all three dyads, while each dyad incorporates other predictors examined from the perspective of Mexican culture. The results are extensively discussed regarding how emerging adults construct their sibling relationship in unique ways based on these aspects considered harmful to them.
Parenting has an important role in the life of children. This research analyzed the significance of the parenting and differential trajectories of the differential effect.
After Jacob's beloved wife Rachel died, Jacob behaved differentially to his sons. His father “..loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours” (Genesis 37:3). So, he gave a beautiful coat only to Joseph, not to his other children.
There are numerous faces of parenting in the contemporary families.
Various strategies can be used to cope with the negative face of the parents' parenting.
The main conclusion is that differential parenting, similarly to ancient times, is a prevalent human behavior in the contemporary times.
In the recent years, the diagnostic possibilities have been validated through scientific research and have shown medicinal value in the diagnostics and the management of conditions associated with the parental behavior in the human life.
Thus, the differential parenting has accompanied humans during the long years of our existence.
The purpose of this study was to examine which sibling and parent-child characteristics were associated with sibling warmth and conflict among Korean young adults. The data came from an online survey of Koreans aged 19-34 years who had at least one sibling and two living parents. We conducted a multilevel regression analysis using data from 193 men with 305 siblings and 203 women with 286 siblings. The results showed that, for men, the levels of warmth were higher when the sibling was younger, when they received more frequent financial and instrumental support from the sibling, and when maternal favoritism was relatively lower. Women reported higher levels of warmth when the sibling was a sister, when they provided more frequent support for the sibling, when they had a more affectionate relationship with the mother, and when paternal favoritism was lower. As for sibling conflict, the number of siblings was positively associated with the levels of conflict among both men and women. Maternal affection was negatively related with conflict for men, and paternal favoritism was positively related to conflict for women. Interestingly, women’s sibling warmth and conflict were both higher when the sibling was a sister, which meant that relationships between sisters tended to be ambivalent. This study contributes to our understandings of Koreans’ sibling relationships in young adulthood.
This article explores contemporary research on how extended family ties contribute to individual mental health outcomes, including how recent historical and social trends in the 21st century, including increases in life expectancy, trends in divorce and remarriage, and changing expectations for marriage and parenthood have contributed to the importance of intergenerational and sibling relationships. Further, we describe how positive relationship experiences protect mental health and how negative relationship experiences compromise mental health. Finally, we consider the increasing diversity in the US and explore variability in the associations between extended family ties and mental health.
Mobile phone addiction has raised increasing public concern in recent years, and researchers constantly demonstrated one of its factors as family risk. Parental favoritism, a common phenomenon in multiple-child family, is tightly linked to negative developmental outcomes, such as addiction and substance use, however, few studies have related it with mobile phone addiction. To investigate the underlying mechanism of parental favoritism and mobile phone addiction in Chinese adolescents, this study used the favoritism subscale of EMBU, Sibling Relationship Inventory, and Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale, on 304 elementary school children and 303 junior school students (Mage = 12.56, SD = 1.17, 45.9% boys) from two-child families. Results suggest that parental favoritism can positively predict adolescents’ mobile phone addiction, which is further mediated by sibling hostility. Moreover, the mediating model is only significant in girls, but not in boys. That is, for girls, combination of both high paternal favoritism and maternal favoritism is associated with highest sibling hostility. To conclude, this study demonstrated the mechanism underlying the relationship between parental favoritism and adolescents’ mobile phone addiction and gender differences, contributing to the understanding of the complex mechanism between family dynamics and children’s developmental outcomes.
Relations between the generations have been a central feature in literature and popular culture throughout recorded history. The dramatic increase in life expectancy across the last century, combined with more recent changes in divorce, child-bearing, and women’s employment, has challenged old assumptions and created new inquiries into intergenerational relations in later life. Thus, it is not surprising that the study of these relations in the later years has grown exponentially across the last three decades as scholars have rushed to identify and explain these new patterns of relations and their consequences on family members.
The present study, based on a national sample of 471 young adults, finds that closeness to fathers makes a unique contribution to offspring happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress. Parental divorce weakens the salience of the father-child relationship for adult children's life satisfaction. Similarly, marriage, parenthood, and full-time employment diminish the salience of both the mother-child and the father-child relationship for offspring well-being. Closeness to stepfathers is also related to some dimensions of offspring well-being. Overall, these findings suggest that fathers are important figures in the lives of young adults.
A theoretical framework is developed to explain how parent/adult child relationships affect adult children's and parents' psychological distress levels. Data from a 1986 national survey (n = 3,618) are analyzed to test hypotheses derived from this framework. Results show that (a) the quality of intergenerational relationships appears to be influenced by the structural circumstances of parents and adult children—especially as defined by divorced status, gender, and age; (b) the negative aspects of intergenerational relationships are more strongly associated with psychological distress of parents and adult children than are the positive aspects; and (c) the estimated effects of intergenerational relationships on distress levels sometimes depend on the structural circumstances of parents and children.
We use a National Survey of Families and Households sample of 7,730 adults with siblings to test a model of perceived and actual social support among adult siblings. Despite low levels of actual exchange, nearly 30% of the sample would call on a sibling first in an emergency. Social support among siblings was higher for those with living sisters and for those without adult children, but African Americans and respondents with lower education and family income levels were less likely to be involved in actual exchange with siblings. Although weak support from siblings may simply represent a contraction of the support network to the "inner circle" of parents and children, these findings suggest caution in assuming that disadvantaged groups can rely on stronger extended family networks.
This life-course analysis of family development focuses on the social dynamics among family members. It features parent-child relationships in a larger context, by examining the help exchange between kin and nonkin and the intergenerational transmission of family characteristics.