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Published on: September 19, 2019
Parent-Adolescent Communication, Siblings and Adolescent Coping Strategies
Megha Garg1, Mellissa S Gordon1, Christine M Ohannessian2
1Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Delaware, 111 Alison Hall West, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Birth order and sibling gender impact adolescent coping strategies, especially for older adolescents in mixed-gender sibling pairs. These findings aid in understanding sibling dynamics and promoting healthy coping mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Sibling relationships influence adolescent development.
- The spillover hypothesis suggests inter-systemic effects within families.
- Parent-child relationship quality may impact sibling dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine associations between birth order, sibling gender dyads, and adolescent coping strategies.
- Investigate if sibling gender dyads moderate the relationship between birth order and coping.
- Understand how sibling dynamics affect adolescent coping mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal data from 1428 adolescents in the Northeastern US.
- Regression-based structural equation modeling.
- Analysis of active, distraction, and problem-focused coping strategies.
Main Results:
- Birth order significantly associated with coping strategies in older adolescents within mixed-gender dyads.
- Significant interactions found for same- and mixed-gender dyads in older adolescents.
- Sibling gender moderates the influence of birth order on coping.
Conclusions:
- Birth order and sibling gender dyads play a role in adolescent coping strategy development.
- Findings support leveraging sibling relationships in adolescent mental health interventions.
- Provides a foundation for future research on sibling influence in development.
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