| Popis: |
Over the past two decades, public health research has demonstrated that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with significant and prolonged physical and mental health problems (Campbell et al., 2016; Felitti et al., 1998; Gilbert et al., 2015; Greif Green et al., 2010; Horwitz et al., 2001; Mersky et al., 2013), demanding investigation into factors that may mitigate such poor outcomes. One potential factor that may attenuate the negative impact of ACEs on individuals’ mental health is social support. An important source of social support is sibling relationships (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985; Goetting, 1986; Lempers & Clark-Lempers, 1992; Scholte et al., 2001; Wellman & Wortley, 1989). The purpose of the current study was to examine if the perceived quality of sibling relationships may moderate the negative impact of ACEs on wellbeing in adulthood. Data was collected from a total of 439 participants (Mage = 35.06, SD = 11.20; 73.6% White or European American; 62.4% male). Results revealed that sibling relationships characterized by higher perceived warmth—and, interestingly, higher perceived conflict and rivalry—attenuated the negative impact of ACEs on wellbeing in adulthood. Additionally, higher ACE-IQ scores predicted lower wellbeing when participants’ overall sibling relationship was characterized by relatively high, but not low, perceived quality. Future research should consider the nuances in the measurement of conflict and rivalry in the context of sibling relationships, and conceptualize overall sibling relationship quality accordingly. Such research will help determine whether overall sibling relationship quality is a factor that can mitigate the negative impact of ACEs on wellbeing. |
