FORECASTING SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE FROM CHILD TEMPERAMENTS AND FAMILY PROCESSES IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

We developed a model to account for variation in the quality of siblin g relationships across a 4-year span from middle childhood to early ad olescence. We tested this model on a sample of 71 families, in which o lder siblings' ages ranged from 6 to 11 years, and those of younger si blings ranged from 4 to 9 years. We also assessed continuity and disco ntinuity over time in sibling relationship quality. The descriptive an alyses revealed an increase of negative sibling relationship qualities and a decrease in positive qualities. The hypothesized paths involvin g children's temperaments, interparental conflict, positivity in paren t-child relationships, and differential negativity in parent-sibling r elationships were supported, accounting for 27% to 34% of the variatio n in sibling relationship quality.