Suchergebnisse

AbstractObjectiveThis study investigated how experiencing childhood family violence can affect aspects of adult sibling relationships.BackgroundEstablished evidence shows the long‐term effects of childhood adversity on several domains of adult lives. Few studies, however, have examined the impact that childhood family violence exposure has on sibling relationships later in adulthood. To address this gap, this study examined the latent class structure of childhood exposure to family violence. We also investigated whether and how latent class membership predicted aspects of adult sibling relationships, including geographical proximity, contact frequency, perceived closeness, similarity in outlook, and support exchange.MethodData for the study were obtained from 3921 adult participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Using the Bolck, Croon, and Hagenaars (BCH) approach of latent class analysis (LCA), we identified five latent classes (prevalence rate noted): No Exposure to Family Violence (75%), Exposed to Intersibling Violence (7%), Exposed to Overall Family Violence (4%), Exposed to Paternal and Interparental Violence (10%), and Exposed to Maternal and Interparental Violence (5%).ResultsChildhood family violence was a significant predictor of adult sibling relationships. Specifically, we found that the Intersibling Violence, Overall Family Violence, and Paternal and Interparental Violence classes showed lower levels of perceived emotional closeness and similarity in values/outlook with their siblings than the No Exposure to Violence class.ConclusionFindings suggest that childhood exposure to family violence may have long‐term negative effects on the emotional aspect of sibling relationships in adulthood.

AbstractObjectivesThis study examined (a) the effect of childhood maltreatment on the trajectory of emotional closeness with siblings and (b) whether and how a history of childhood maltreatment affects the longitudinal association between emotional closeness with siblings and older adults' psychological well‐being.BackgroundPrior studies have suggested that childhood maltreatment may have lasting adverse effects on later‐life relationships with family members of origin, which may include adult siblings.MethodsWe used three‐wave data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to examine the associations between perceived sibling closeness and the psychological well‐being of 4,736 older adults.ResultsOur findings showed that the trajectory of perceived sibling closeness differed between older adults who experienced childhood maltreatment and those who did not. Perceived sibling closeness was lower at baseline for those who experienced maltreatment and did not change over time, whereas perceived sibling closeness increased over time for those who did not experience maltreatment. Further, older adults who reported greater sibling closeness over time showed less of a decline in psychological well‐being, of which patterns did not differ between the maltreated and nonmaltreated groups.ConclusionChildhood maltreatment was found to have long‐term negative effects on the emotional quality of sibling relationships in late adulthood.ImplicationsMore research is needed to explore potential mechanisms that explain these lifelong associations, which will inform the development of timely interventions that can help reduce the long‐lasting influence of adverse childhood experiences on the dynamics and relationships in later‐life families.