Sibling relationships in rural African American families

A family process model linked mothers' and fathers' psychological functioni ng to sibling relationship quality in a sample of 85 9- to 12-year-old Afri can American youths and their married parents living in the rural Southeast ern United States. Members of the rural African American community particip ated in the development of the research methods. Better parental psychologi cal functioning was linked to closer and more supportive relationships in t he nuclear and extended families and with more supportive parenting practic es. In turn, these family processes ware linked with children's development of self-regulation. Self-regulated youths experienced more harmonious and less conflicted sibling relationships.