DIFFERENTIAL ACCOUNTS OF CLOSENESS IN OLDER ADULT SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS

Research into the older adult sibling relationship has only recently r ecognized and attempted to account for differential feelings of closen ess between siblings throughout their lives. Sixty-one participants, a ged fifty-four and older with at least two siblings, were interviewed concerning the degree of closeness they felt towards their siblings, P articipants in this investigation were able to differentiate levels of closeness felt toward their siblings and account for these difference s, Family systems theory serves as a guide for these accounts.