Os irmãos nas novas configurações familiares (I) Siblings in the new family configurations

(A) Abstract Despite the few investments in studies on sibling's relationships, this is a complex and rich theme, which involves many interactions throughout its development. With the intense changes in fam- ily configurations, marked by the increase in divorce rates from the 90s decade, siblings' rela- tionships and the whole family structure have been added in complexity. Within this context, the bonds connecting family members would be directed to a lower consanguinity demand to- wards an increase in relationships based on affective and supportive bonds. From this perspec- tive, this study aimed to investigate siblings' universe within new family configurations, from teenagers' perspective. Six teenagers participated in the research, being fifteen to eighteen years old, living in single parent families or step-families, who had half blood siblings or step siblings. (R)