Abstract

The family consists of multiple interrelated systems, including the parent-child and sibling subsystems. Few studies adopting a family systems perspective have investigated links between the parent and the sibling subsystems, and in particular, the spillover between parental stress and sibling interactions. This study used a daily diary methodology to investigate whether daily reports of parental stress related and unrelated to sibling interactions were associated with positive and negative sibling interactions, both on the same day and from one day to the next. Phone calls for nine consecutive days were completed by a parent and two siblings between 7 and 11 years of age. This thesis was based on data drawn from parental reports. Within-person analyses indicated a significant daily association between negative sibling interactions and parental stress related to sibling interactions, as well as a significant negative association between positive sibling interactions and parental stress unrelated to sibling interactions. Conversely, none of the cross-lagged associations from one day to the next was significant. Findings are consistent with spillover between parental stress and sibling interactions on the same day (but not from one day to the next), although alternative explanations for observed associations are also considered. Exploratory between-person patterns also indicated that stress related to sibling interactions was linked to negative behaviour between siblings. The results of this study contribute to knowledge on family research with a specific focus on how sibling interactions are associated with parental stress and findings have the potential to inform future studies in this field.