CONGRUENCE BETWEEN MOTHERS AND FATHERS DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT OF SIBLINGS - LINKS WITH FAMILY-RELATIONS AND CHILDRENS WELL-BEING

We studied patterns of mothers' and fathers' differential treatment of firstborn (average age 10.5 years) and secondborn (average age 8 year s) school-age siblings, and we examined the links between parents' dif ferential treatment and children's well-being and dyadic family relati onships. Mothers, fathers, and both siblings in 110 families were inte rviewed in their homes. For each dimension of parental behavior that w e assessed (i.e., differential affection and discipline) we created gr oups of families that reflected mothers' and fathers' levels of differ ential treatment (e.g., discipline the firstborn more, equal treatment , discipline the secondborn more). Although we detected substantial co rrespondence between the 2 parents' differential treatment, we found a sizable group of families in which parents' reports were incongruent (i.e., 1 parent reported equal and the other differential treatment). Parental patterns were linked to differences between the siblings' wel l-being and both sibling and parent-child relationships, with younger siblings exhibiting greater vulnerability to differential treatment. I ncongruence in differential warmth was associated with marital distres s.