Step in or stay out? Parents' roles in adolescent siblings' relationships

We studied parents' direct involvement in adolescent sibling relationships, including parents' reactions to sibling conflict and their time spent in t he company of the sibling dyad Participants were 185 White, working- and mi ddle-class families; firstborns averaged 15 and secondborns averaged 13.5 y ears of age. In separate home interviews mothers, fathers and both adolesce nts described their personal and family relationship qualities and experien ces. In a series of 7 evening phone calls, family members reported on each day's activities including the time they spent and their companions in 63 d aily activities (e.g., do dishes, play sports, talk on phone). Analyses rev ealed 3 general conflict reactions by parents: (a) noninvolvement (e.g., te ll siblings to work out problem themselves); (b) intervene (e.g., step in a nd solve problem); and (c) coach (e.g., give advice about how to solve prob lem). We found mother-father differences in conflict reactions and time spe nt with siblings; differences in parents' direct involvement as a function of the gender constellation of the sibling dyad also were evident. Direct i nvolvement was linked to sibling relationship qualities and explained varia nce beyond that accounted for by an index of indirect involvement, that is, parental warmth, Further, parents' orientations toward autonomy were linke d to the indices of involvement such that parents with stronger autonomy or ientations were less involved, and parents' orientations explained variance ill their involvement beyond that explained by adolescent characteristics.