Poster #25 - Parental distress and child socio-emotional outcomes: Do sibling interactions matter?

• In Event: Poster Session 11

Abstract

Parental distress has been broadly defined to include symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychopathology, and/or perceived stress. Increasing evidence suggests that children of distressed parents are at greater risk for negative socio-emotional outcomes, including internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (Connell & Goodman, 2002). The relation between parental distress and child socio-emotional outcomes has been established for both mothers (Goodman et al., 2011) and fathers (Dubois-Comtois et al., 2021; Valloton et al., 2016). Conversely, studies show that children with positive sibling relationships are at lower risk for socio-emotional difficulties (Buist et al., 2013; Buist & Vermande, 2014). Drawing on the Family Systems Theory (Cox & Paley, 2003), our study aimed to explore whether sibling relationship quality plays a moderating role in the association between parental distress and child socio-emotional problems. Since this research question had never been investigated solely with fathers, we conducted separate analyses for mothers and fathers. We also included an observational measure of the quality of the sibling relationship (assessed during a play session without the presence of parents) in order to overcome limitations identified in previous studies (e.g., Keeton et al., 2015). Participants included 52 two-parent families from the community. Only one child was targeted in each family (Mage = 8.32 years, Min = 6.64; Max = 10.37; SD = 0.89; 33 girls) and studied in relation to his/her siblings. Mothers’ and fathers’ levels of distress were assessed using the self-reported Outcome Questionnaire (Lambert et al., 2004) and each parent independently assessed their child’s socio-emotional problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). Sibling relationship quality was assessed by two independent observers during a home visit. Positive sibling interactions consisted of more companionship, empathy, and teaching, while negative sibling interactions were characterized by more rivalry, aggression, and avoidance. Consistent with previous empirical findings (e.g., Keeton et al., 2015; Dubois-Comtois et al., 2021), results from the multiple regression analyses revealed that maternal distress and paternal distress were both significant predictors of child socio-emotional problems. Results further indicated a significant interaction effect between paternal psychological distress and sibling positivity on child socio-emotional problems. Specifically, we found that children of distressed fathers were at lower risk for socio-emotional problems when they engaged in more positive interactions with their siblings. Post hoc analyses revealed that only sibling empathy moderated the association between paternal distress and child socio-emotional problems. These findings provide further evidence of the role fathers play in their child’s socio-emotional adjustment and suggest that sibling relationship quality can act as a buffer against the exposure to paternal distress. Conversely, our results indicate that sibling relationship quality does not moderate the association between maternal distress and child socio-emotional adjustment, perhaps as mother-child relationships are less vulnerable to external influences (Cabrera et al., 2000). Future studies should pursue the examination of siblings’ influence in relation to other parental risk factors (e.g., parenting stress, parental maltreating behaviors), while controlling for the effects of the other parent.

Authors

• Jessica Turgeon, Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
  Presenting Author

• Jean-Francois Bureau, University of Ottawa