MOTHER-CHILD-RELATIONSHIP AND QUALITY OF INTERACTIONS AMONG PRESCHOOLSIBLINGS

This research aims at assessing to which degree the quality of the aff ective mother-child relationship is linked to the quality of interacti ons among siblings of preschool age. Forty-four intact families, with two children of which at least one was of preschool age, participated in this study. Two evaluation methods were used: observation of relati onships between siblings in semi-structured play situations at home, a nd a Q-sort questionnaire on the quality of the mother-child relations hip. The results indicate that, to a certain degree, there is a link b etween the quality of the relationship children have with their mother s and the quality of that they have with their siblings. Results also indicate that the two kinds of intrafamilial relationships must be vie wed differently for the younger child and the elder. This distinction seems important and likely suggests that the relationship with the mot her can contribute to the interior self representation that could help children assert their position and play a role among siblings.