2015/09/04 by Anna K. Lindell, Nicole Campione‐Barr, Sarah E. Killoren · 43 citations
Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Attachment and Relationship Dynamics #Birth order #Developmental psychology #Identity, Memory, and Therapy #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Medicine #Population #Psychology #Sibling #Variety (cybernetics)
paper · doi:10.1111/fare.12133
published in Family Relations 64(4), 563-578 (Wiley)
crossref issued 2015/09/04 · crossref published 2015/09/04 · crossref published-online 2015/09/04 · openalex publication_date 2015/09/04 · crossref published-print 2015/10/01 · crossref created 2015/10/13 · crossref deposited 2023/10/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02 · crossref indexed 2026/08/02
Abstract An important task for emerging adults is the effective maintenance of sibling relationships given their importance for well‐being later in adulthood. However, little is currently known about how siblings maintain communication with one another during this developmental stage when they often live apart for the first time, or about whether different communication patterns have unique relational implications. Using a sample of first‐year college students (n = 250), the present study identified four distinct groups of emerging adults who used information and communication technologies differently in communicating with their siblings. Emerging adults who frequently used synchronous communication methods (as opposed to more passive methods) generally had more positive and self‐disclosive relationships with their siblings about a variety of topics, although there were important gender and birth order differences. Implications for college administrators and mental health professionals are discussed.