The Multigenerational Impact of Sibling Relationships

This study examined the impact that sibling relationship patterns in one generation have on the succeeding generation. In particular, it investigated whether calm and tense sibling interactions were similar across two generations and whether calm and tense sibling interactions in one generation would be similar to calm and tense parent-child interactions in the next generations. Statistical analyses were performed on the 220 successfully completed questionnaires. The results support the idea that sibling interactional patterns are transmitted across two generations and that the sibling relationship patterns in one generation appear to influence the parent-child relationships in the next generation.