Relationships in transition: maternal and paternal parenting styles and change in sibling dynamics during adolescence

Objective The goal of the current 3-year longitudinal study was to evaluate the association between maternal and paternal parenting styles and sibling relationships during the early to late adolescent transition. Our original sample consisted of 272 particpants in grades 9 and 11 from a high school in the Northeastern US. After three years, time 2 data for 135 students from the original sample was collected. The parenting behaviour assessed was parenting styles. Sibling relationship outcomes were sibling support, warmth, and conflict. Maternal authoritative and permissive styles were associated with greater time II sibling support than maternal authoritarian and neglectful styles. Maternal authoritative style was further associated with greater time II sibling warmth than the authoritarian and neglectful styles. Paternal authoritative style was associated with greater time II sibling support than the authoritarian and neglectful styles. Additionally, although overall parenting with low levels of acceptance and involvement was associated with reduced sibling relationship quality, paternal neglectful parenting style was associated with greater increases over time in sibling support than the other paternal parenting styles. Cohort effects were also found for sibling support and conflict. The results highlight the continuous contribution parenting behaviours have on sibling relationship quality during adolescence. The findings point to potential compensatory support offered by siblings in early and late adolescence.