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Child Development Sep 2022This study examined daily links between sibling warmth and negativity and positive and negative mood in middle childhood and the moderating role of enculturation....
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 (M = 10.63 and 8.58 years 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.
Topics: Affect; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Mexico; Sibling Relations; Siblings; United States
PubMed: 35502868
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13777 -
European Journal of Oncology Nursing :... Jun 2022When healthy children/adolescents are potential stem cell donors to a sibling, ethical questions arise due to reduced autonomy and dependency on their family. This study...
PURPOSE
When healthy children/adolescents are potential stem cell donors to a sibling, ethical questions arise due to reduced autonomy and dependency on their family. This study aimed to explore the experiences of children/adolescents in Sweden who donated stem cells to a severely ill sibling.
METHOD
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen donors, aged 6-17 years at the time of the donation, all with surviving siblings. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
RESULT
The main category in this study was The presumed 'choice' when a sibling is ill. The experience included being Proud without an actual choice, highlights that the donors were proud to contribute, and perceptions of a request without a choice. Focusing on the ill sibling and the outcomes reveals that they were worried and protected the sibling, and downplayed the importance of their own effort. They experienced a Need ofsupport and information, which derived from receiving information without communication about what they really needed to know, but also the importance of support through play and talk.
CONCLUSION
The donation involves the young donor in the care, implying an opportunity to bring the family back together. They have no real choice, when their sibling is ill and the lack of information about possible alternatives indicate that there was no option to decline. There is also a need to focus on the experiences of young donors whose siblings died after the transplantation.
Topics: Adolescent; Anxiety; Child; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Siblings; Tissue Donors
PubMed: 35597111
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2022.102147 -
Journal of Autism and Developmental... Nov 2021We tested a novel methodological approach to examine associations between characteristics of autistic children and outcomes for siblings. Cluster analysis was used to...
We tested a novel methodological approach to examine associations between characteristics of autistic children and outcomes for siblings. Cluster analysis was used to define five groups of children with autism (n = 168) based on autism symptoms, adaptive behavior, pro-social behavior, and behavior problems. Primary and secondary parent carers, and siblings themselves, reported on sibling relationship quality and psychological adjustment. Siblings of autistic children with a mild symptom profile, high levels of adaptive skills, but high internalizing and externalizing problems had the highest level of these problems themselves and more conflict in their relationship. Siblings of autistic children with the most complex support needs (adaptive skills deficits, severe autism symptoms) reported lower warmth relationships but not elevated internalizing and externalizing problems.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder; Child; Humans; Sibling Relations; Siblings
PubMed: 33442858
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04854-0 -
Cognition & Emotion Aug 2022Guilt- and shame-prone responding were examined in a sample of 146, 18-month-old toddlers and their older siblings ( = 49.5 months, = 10.4) during mishap tasks...
Guilt- and shame-prone responding were examined in a sample of 146, 18-month-old toddlers and their older siblings ( = 49.5 months, = 10.4) during mishap tasks which were used to differentiate both toddlers and their older siblings into Amenders (low avoidance) and Avoiders (high avoidance). Toddlers and older siblings classified as Amenders expressed more concern and were less distressed by the mishap than Avoiders. Children were divided into four groups: Amender-Amender (older sibling-toddler), Amender-Avoider, Avoider-Avoider, and Avoider-Amender to examine differences in sibling interaction and moral development. Older siblings in the Avoider-Avoider group were significantly more aggressive and less empathic toward toddlers than older siblings in the Avoider-Amender group. Toddlers in the Amender-Amender, Amender-Avoider, and Avoider-Amender groups showed significant gains in moral regulation from 18 to 24 months whereas toddlers in the Avoider-Avoider group did not. In contrast, while older siblings were generally high on moral regulation when toddlers were 18 months, this was not the case for older siblings in the Avoider-Avoider group, who had lower moral regulation scores that significantly increased over time. Findings are discussed with respect to the significance of sibling socialisation for toddlers' developing moral sensibility.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Emotions; Empathy; Guilt; Humans; Infant; Shame; Siblings
PubMed: 35319341
DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2054779 -
Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi Jun 2023To investigate the efficacy of different numbers of microhaplotype (MH) loci and the introduction of different reference samples on the identification of full sibling,...
OBJECTIVES
To investigate the efficacy of different numbers of microhaplotype (MH) loci and the introduction of different reference samples on the identification of full sibling, half sibling and differentiation between full sibling and half sibling kinships, and to explore the effect of changing mutation rate on sibling testing.
METHODS
First, a family map involving three generations was established, and four full sibling identification models, five half sibling identification models and five models distinguishing full and half siblings were constructed for different reference samples introduced. Based on the results of the previous study, two sets of nonbinary SNP-MH containing 34 and 54 loci were selected. Based on the above MH loci, 100 000 pairs of full sibling . unrelated individuals, 100 000 pairs of half sibling . unrelated individuals and 100 000 pairs of full sibling . half sibling were simulated based on the corresponding sibling kinship testing models, and the efficacy of each sibling kinship testing model was analyzed by the likelihood ratio algorithm under different thresholds. The mutant rate of 54 MH loci was changed to analyze the effect of mutation rate on sibling identification.
RESULTS
In the same relationship testing model, the systematic efficacy of sibling testing was positively correlated with the number of MH loci detected. With the same number of MH loci, the efficacy of full sibling testing was better than that of uncle or grandfather when the reference sample introduced was a full sibling of A, but there was no significant difference in the identification efficacy of the four reference samples introduced for full sibling and half sibling differentiation testing. In addition, the mutation rate had a slight effect on the efficacy of sibling kinship testing.
CONCLUSIONS
Increasing the number of MH loci and introducing reference samples of known relatives can increase the efficacy of full sibling testing, half sibling testing, and differentiation between full and half sibling kinships. The level of mutation rate in sibling testing by likelihood ratio method has a slight but insignificant effect on the efficacy.
Topics: Humans; Siblings; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; DNA Fingerprinting
PubMed: 37517018
DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2023.530101 -
PLoS Genetics Jul 2022Estimating effects of parental and sibling genotypes (indirect genetic effects) can provide insight into how the family environment influences phenotypic variation....
Estimating effects of parental and sibling genotypes (indirect genetic effects) can provide insight into how the family environment influences phenotypic variation. There is growing molecular genetic evidence for effects of parental phenotypes on their offspring (e.g. parental educational attainment), but the extent to which siblings affect each other is currently unclear. Here we used data from samples of unrelated individuals, without (singletons) and with biological full-siblings (non-singletons), to investigate and estimate sibling effects. Indirect genetic effects of siblings increase (or decrease) the covariance between genetic variation and a phenotype. It follows that differences in genetic association estimates between singletons and non-singletons could indicate indirect genetic effects of siblings if there is no heterogeneity in other sources of genetic association between singletons and non-singletons. We used UK Biobank data to estimate polygenic score (PGS) associations for height, BMI and educational attainment in self-reported singletons (N = 50,143) and non-singletons (N = 328,549). The educational attainment PGS association estimate was 12% larger (95% C.I. 3%, 21%) in the non-singleton sample than in the singleton sample, but the height and BMI PGS associations were consistent. Birth order data suggested that the difference in educational attainment PGS associations was driven by individuals with older siblings rather than firstborns. The relationship between number of siblings and educational attainment PGS associations was non-linear; PGS associations were 24% smaller in individuals with 6 or more siblings compared to the rest of the sample (95% C.I. 11%, 38%). We estimate that a 1 SD increase in sibling educational attainment PGS corresponds to a 0.025 year increase in the index individual's years in schooling (95% C.I. 0.013, 0.036). Our results suggest that older siblings may influence the educational attainment of younger siblings, adding to the growing evidence that effects of the environment on phenotypic variation partially reflect social effects of germline genetic variation in relatives.
Topics: Academic Success; Educational Status; Humans; Multifactorial Inheritance; Parents; Siblings
PubMed: 35797272
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010247 -
BioMed Research International 2015Neurodevelopmental disorders represent a broad class of childhood neurological conditions that have a significant bearing on the wellbeing of children, families, and... (Review)
Review
Neurodevelopmental disorders represent a broad class of childhood neurological conditions that have a significant bearing on the wellbeing of children, families, and communities. In this review, we draw on evidence from two common and widely studied neurodevelopmental disorders-autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-to demonstrate the utility of genetically informed sibling designs in uncovering the nature and pathogenesis of these conditions. Specifically, we examine how twin, recurrence risk, and infant prospective tracking studies have contributed to our understanding of genetic and environmental liabilities towards neurodevelopmental morbidity through their impact on neurocognitive processes and structural/functional neuroanatomy. It is suggested that the siblings of children with ASD and ADHD are at risk not only of clinically elevated problems in these areas, but also of subthreshold symptoms and/or subtle impairments in various neurocognitive skills and other domains of psychosocial health. Finally, we close with a discussion on the practical relevance of sibling designs and how these might be used in the service of early screening, prevention, and intervention efforts that aim to alleviate the negative downstream consequences associated with disorders of neurodevelopment.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Environment; Humans; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Risk Factors; Siblings
PubMed: 26258141
DOI: 10.1155/2015/672784 -
Biology Letters Mar 2020The 'haplodiploidy hypothesis' argues that haplodiploid inheritance in bees, wasps, and ants generates relatedness asymmetries that promote the evolution of altruism by...
The 'haplodiploidy hypothesis' argues that haplodiploid inheritance in bees, wasps, and ants generates relatedness asymmetries that promote the evolution of altruism by females, who are less related to their offspring than to their sisters ('supersister' relatedness). However, a consensus holds that relatedness asymmetry can only drive the evolution of eusociality if workers can direct their help preferentially to sisters over brothers, either through sex-ratio biases or a pre-existing ability to discriminate sexes among the brood. We show via a kin selection model that a simple feature of insect biology can promote the origin of workers in haplodiploids without requiring either condition. In insects in which females must found and provision new nests, body quality may have a stronger influence on female fitness than on male fitness. If altruism boosts the quality of all larval siblings, sisters may, therefore, benefit more than brothers from receiving the same amount of help. Accordingly, the benefits of altruism would fall disproportionately on supersisters in haplodiploids. Haplodiploid females should be more prone to altruism than diplodiploid females or males of either ploidy when altruism elevates female fitness especially, and even when altruists are blind to sibling sex.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Biological Evolution; Female; Humans; Male; Models, Biological; Sex Ratio; Siblings; Social Behavior
PubMed: 32183634
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0764 -
Journal of Intellectual Disability... Apr 2023Understanding sibling relationship quality is important, as it is associated with mental health outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. Arguably, these relationships...
BACKGROUND
Understanding sibling relationship quality is important, as it is associated with mental health outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. Arguably, these relationships are even more important for individuals with intellectual disability, as siblings can be important sources of care, support, advocacy and friendship for one another. The intellectual disability field, however, has a tendency to assume that the relationship lacks reciprocity, and that it is the sibling with intellectual disability who affects the sibling, and that this effect is somehow 'negative'.
METHODS
We examined whether the behaviour problems and prosocial behaviour of 500 child sibling pairs, where one child has an intellectual disability, were associated with their sibling relationship quality. Measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires and the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire. Family poverty, the gender of both children, birth order and whether the child with intellectual disability had autism or Down syndrome were also included in the analyses.
RESULTS
Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an adequate model fit for the latent variables measuring sibling relationships. The final structural model found that the prosocial behaviour and internalising problems of the children with intellectual disability, their typically developing siblings' prosocial behaviours and sibling birth order were associated with intimacy-companionship in the sibling relationship. The internalising, externalising and prosocial behaviours of the children with intellectual disability, their siblings' externalising behaviours and sibling birth order were associated with antagonism-quarrelling in the sibling relationship.
CONCLUSIONS
We found that the behaviours of both the child with intellectual disability and their sibling were associated with both 'positive' and 'negative' dimensions of their sibling relationship. This indicates a bidirectional and reciprocal effect.
Topics: Child; Humans; Siblings; Intellectual Disability; Sibling Relations; Birth Order; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36602088
DOI: 10.1111/jir.13006 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Jul 2022Social support is a protective factor for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Social support is a protective factor for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
AIMS
We reviewed studies on social support received by siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
We conducted a pre-registered systematic review (CRD42020207686), searching PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
Fifteen articles were eligible for the review, 13 of which used cross-sectional designs. Two studies investigated sibling social support after an intervention. Multiple variables were negatively related to social support (e.g., sibling depression, loneliness, stress). Variables that were positively related to social support included prosocial behavior, competence (academic, social, and activity-related), problem-focused coping, and family quality of life. Potential moderators of the relationship between social support and psychosocial adjustment included the type of disorder of the affected sibling and the type of social support provider. We conclude with an overview of the reliability and validity of the seven social support measurements used across the studies.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Lower levels of social support are associated with more negative psychosocial adjustment among siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. We encourage future researchers to further investigate ways to increase social support for siblings to improve outcomes.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Siblings; Social Support
PubMed: 35468570
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104234