ADOLESCENT SIBLING DIFFERENCES IN SUICIDAL SYMPTOMS - THE ROLE OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS

This study examined concordance for symptoms of suicide among 178 pair s of adolescent siblings, and the association of youth and maternal re ports of parenting with variation in suicide ideation both across fami lies and between siblings. Crosstabulation analyses indicated a signif icant risk of suicide ideation among siblings of adolescents who had m ade suicide attempts, as well as a significant degree of concordance f or suicide ideation among pairs of siblings. Regression analyses indic ated that reported levels of maternal warmth and harsh discipline, esp ecially youth reports, were associated with suicide ideation, and that sibling differences on these parenting indices were associated with d ifferences in suicide ideation both across families as well as between siblings. However, sibling differences in reported parenting did not contribute to prediction of suicide ideation above the variance accoun ted for by the simple levels of parenting reported by adolescents.