Balance in Family Triads: How Intergenerational Relationships Affect the Adult Sibling Relationship

In order to understand the interdependency between intergenerational and adult sibling relationships, a family systems perspective is applied to identify a smaller—empirically analyzable—relational unit of analysis, that is, the sibling–parent–sibling triad. Using balance theory, triadic configurati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2019-12, Vol.40 (18), p.2707-2727
Main Authors: de Bel, Vera, Kalmijn, Matthijs, van Duijn, Marijtje A. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Balance theory
Intergenerational relationships
Loyalty
Panel data
Siblings
Triads
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Summary:In order to understand the interdependency between intergenerational and adult sibling relationships, a family systems perspective is applied to identify a smaller—empirically analyzable—relational unit of analysis, that is, the sibling–parent–sibling triad. Using balance theory, triadic configurations are derived that represent enhancement, compensation, and loyalty conflicts. The hypotheses are tested for three relational dimensions: support exchange, contact, and conflict. Multilevel analyses of 549 sibling–parent–sibling triads from the Netherlands Kinship Panel data show strong evidence for enhancement, whereas some indication was obtained for sibling relationships being affected by loyalty conflicts. The results underscore and substantiate interdependency between intergenerational and adult sibling relationships.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X19860181