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Extending the topic of power, control, and influence in the sibling relationship past the years covered in this issue is not an easy task because most adult siblings neither interact frequently nor live in geographic proximity, although there are considerable ethnic and social class variations. Thus, there are limited opportunities to observe how power is manifested, how siblings control each other and themselves to achieve their goals, nor how siblings influence each other. Comments in this commentary address the challenges presented when considering the trajectory of these dynamics in adult sibling relationships as well as the difficulties sibling dynamics present in carrying out tasks for which an egalitarian relationship is not ideal.

The present article was an attempt to integrate the two disparate literatures on sibling conflict in childhood and adulthood with a particular emphasis on the potential benefits of conflictual sibling relations for adult well-being and competence. The extant literature on children's sibling conflicts underscores that conflictual exchanges may actually be related to increases in children's social and emotional competence, the development of self and identity formation, sibling relationship quality, and the subsequent parenting of one's own children. We presented descriptive data bearing on similar categorical benefits from our interviews with middle-aged and older adults with respect to sibling conflict in childhood and adulthood. Based on these findings, we recommend that future research on adult social relations should seriously consider the many ways in which challenge, conflict, and adversity in social relationships may contribute to developmental outcomes, both “good” and “bad.”

In order to better understand which factors contribute to variations in the quality of adult child-parent bonds, this study considered parental unfairness in the treatment of offspring during childhood. Using social exchange, self-esteem maintenance, and socialization models to predict different outcomes, memories of least favored status (LFS) were examined in relation to affectional intergenerational solidarity. A secondary analysis of a Swedish data set was conducted. Parent-child dyads were studied within three-generational lineages consisting of a grandmother (G1), her adult child (G2), and the grandchild (G3). Comparing parents and children, ratings of LFS were more predictive of the quality of the bond for children. Comparing generations of parents, LFS memories were more predictive for G2 than for G1. Comparing generations of children, there were no differences. The uniqueness of older parents in family research is considered, and an agenda for future research is suggested.

This chapter presents a dynamic ecological systems model of emotion regulation. We focus on the course of the sibling relationship across the life span, making note of the connections between individuals' developing capacity to regulate their own emotions and the interpersonal nature of the sibling relationship. We introduce the concept of emotion other-regulation and note how siblings attempt to regulate their own emotions through attempts to influence others. We lay out a developmental timeline showing how parents regulate the relationship between their children during early childhood and how this parental control is slowly relinquished over time such that older children, adolescents, and adults become more responsible for the interpersonal regulation in their sibling relationship and, in turn, their own emotion self-regulation. An ecological perspective on human development underscores the importance of examining child and adult development within multiple contexts and the necessity of examining intraindividual change along with change in the family, community, and cultural contexts in which individuals live. This volume is devoted to understanding change in personal relationships over time from the early years of childhood through the later years of adulthood. In the current chapter, we use a dynamic ecological systems perspective to examine the sibling relationship as a context for the development of emotion regulation in both childhood and adulthood. Development is defined according to the principles of the life-span perspective. Thus, development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, and contextual (Baltes, 1987).

Sibling Relationship Troubles and Well-Being in Middle and Old Age* Victoria Hilkevitch Bedford** The purpose of this stud) was to investigate whether sibling troubles are related to well-being. It was predicted that well-being would be greater when more positive cognitive appraisals are generated to manage the stress engendered by these troubles than when fewer positive appraisals are made. Qualitative data regarding age-near same-sex siblings were solicited via open-ended questions. These data were coded for each indication of a benefit derived from sibling troubles. Respondents were 40 well-educated middle-class men and women in middle and late life. Using multiple regression analyses that controlled for socio-economic status and size of social support nen ork, results suggested that the use of positive cognitive appraisals of sibling troubles was related to positive affect, but not negative affect. Social support also contributed uniquely to positive affect. Notably, these.findings only applied to coping with sibling troubles originating in childhood, not in adulthood. The findings suggest a connection between sibling childhood experiences and well-being in adulthood Key Words: aging, siblings, social support, stress, well-being. Many adults do not have family in the traditional sense of a co-residing spouse and dependent children who are minors (Bedford & Blieszner, 1997). Kin are especially likely to constitute primary family ties for adults who have launched their children, the ever single, widowed, divorced, and childless (Troll, 1986). In the present study the focus is on one relationship category from the extended kinship family-the siblings of middle-aged and older adults. The family literature tends to focus on intergenerational and spousal relationships; however, sibling relationships have gained visibility in recent years (e.g., see literature reviews by Bedford, 1995, and Cicirelli, 1995). Although there are exceptions, siblings play an especially important and unique role in adulthood. Caring for and burying their parents, and settling the parental estate often bring siblings into close contact to accomplish common goals (Brody, 1990; Matthews & Rosner, 1988). As the most long-lived relationship, siblings may become valued increasingly with age as other relationships dissolve through divorce, death, and geographical relocation (e.g., Avioli, 1989). Siblings sometimes function as confidants and companions (Connidis & Davies, 1992), especially for women. Most people believe their siblings will provide help in a crisis (Bedford, 1995), which has been demonstrated at the onset of widowhood (Lopata, 1973). As the longest survivors of the original family, siblings also may become a valued repository of family memories and partners in shared reminiscence (Cicirelli, 1985: Goetting,1986; Gold, 1987). Siblings and well-being. Despite the important functions of siblings, little is known about sibling contributions to the wellbeing of adults. The few studies addressing this issue have focused on older adults. Generally speaking, frequency of contact with siblings shows no relation to well-being (Lee & Ihinger-Tallman, 1980) with one exception. O'Bryant (1988) found that widows who had more contact with their sisters had higher levels of positive affect than did those widows who had less contact with their sisters. Most studies have found other aspects of the sibling relationships to be relevant to well-being. McGhee (1985) found that for rural aged women, simply having a sister live nearby was associated with greater life satisfaction. Cicirelli found that the closer men and women over 65 felt to their sisters, the fewer symptoms of depression they had (Cicirelli, 1989). Consistent with these findings, Wilson, Calsyn, and Orlofsky (1994) found that the quality of the sibling relationship correlated more with morale than did frequency of contact. Little is known about the mechanisms that may link the sibling relationship to well-being. …