According to a new study by a University of Missouri, psychologists have studied certain behaviors among siblings which often end up in quarrels. The study suggests these small quarrels such as arguments over fairness, borrowing certain pieces of clothing or accessories unnecessarily can have effect on sibling's emotional health, reports Medical Xpress.
Nicole Campione-Barr, MU assistant professor of psychological science in the College of Arts and Science and her colleagues conducted a study on 145 siblings with average age between 12 and 15 years old with a majority of European-American middle class teens 12 months. The teens were asked to answer a questionnaire based on the different topics of conflicts and the intensity of the quarrel. Based on these evaluations, two categories were prepared: violations of personal domain or conflicts over fairness and equality. Later after one year, the study looked in to the correlations among the arguments and teens' mental behavior.
"Our results show that conflicts about violations of personal space and property are associated with greater anxiety and lower self-esteem one year later in life," said Campione-Barr, according to Medical Xpress. "Conflicts over issues of equality and fairness are correlated to greater depression one year later."
"Although parents may be inclined to step in as arbiters, previous research has found that parents' interventions into adolescent sibling conflict can be detrimental," she said. "In concert with those prior findings, we believe our research suggests that setting household rules such as 'knock before entering a sibling's room,' can be the best means for parents to resolve disputes and avoid appearing to play favorites. A calendar of chores and defined time limits for turns with a video game can help reduce conflicts over fairness. However, if a parent notes that one child consistently gets the short end of the stick, action should be taken to ensure one child isn't being too subordinate. Also, if most sibling interactions become intense conflicts, a family should seek professional help, especially if violence is involved."
Campione-Barr also noted that this study mainly included middle-class Americans, and different cultures and economy classes may not necessarily have the same response to the study.
"The next step in our research will be to examine the positive aspects of relationships among adolescent siblings and parents," she said. "Strong, healthy family relationships are immensely beneficial later in life. For example, there are things people will tell their siblings that they would never tell their parents, or possibly even friends. We are currently studying disclosure and levels of trust among parents, siblings and peers."
