Sibling Rein On The Child

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Having siblings has a considerable amount of influence on children in their social and emotional development as adults, say experts.

Laurie Kramer, a professor of Applied Family Studies at the University of Illinois, pointed out that though parents play an important role in teaching social skills of more formal settings, such as how to conduct one self publicly, sibling influence while growing up should not be undermined.

Kramer, along with co-editor Katherine J. Conger, University of California at Davis, said, siblings become role models concerning informal behaviour such as how to act at school or on the street, or how to act cool around friends that form a significant charactiristic of the child.

Siblings are closer to the social environments that children find themselves in during the majority of their day, which is why siblings have both mental and emotional effect on the child.

The expert also suggest, "We know that having a positive relationship with siblings is related to a whole host of better outcomes for teenagers and adults."

A lot of current research looks at how children learn undesirable behaviors like smoking, drinking and other delinquent acts, from exposure to an older sibling's. antisocial behaviors are learnt from the sibling as well as the siblings friends have a great impact. For example, a female teen is at higher risk for getting pregnant if her older sister was a teenage mother. Developing a better understanding of sibling influences can help us design effective strategies for protecting younger children in families.

Kramer says, "It's not all that important whether you're closer or farther apart, or if you have a brother or a sister. What's really important are the social behaviors that children learn in their early years that they can use to develop a positive relationship with a sibling. That's why it's important for parents to encourage siblings to be engaged with one another and develop a relationship where there is mutual respect, cooperation and the ability to manage problems."

The study was published in the journal New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.