Pregnant and parenting adolescents and their younger sisters: the influence of relationship qualities for younger sister outcomes

Older siblings' influence on sexual behavior of high school adolescents in Mekelle, northern Ethiopia

Background: Older siblings are one of the key sources of beliefs about sexual activity, including safe sexual practices, and can even exert pressure to engage in sexual activities. This effect persists beyond parental supervision and peer pressure. Despite this, although a considerable body of research has examined parental and peer influence, comparable data on older sibling influence on younger adolescent sexual behaviors are scant, and this area needs in-depth analysis. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess older siblings' influence on sexual behavior of high school adolescents in Mekelle, northern Ethiopia in 2017-2018. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used, and a total of 285 adolescents who had ever had sex were sampled randomly from selected schools. Data were entered into Epi-info version 07 and exported to and analyzed with SPSS version 22. Means ± SD, frequency, percentage, and cross-tabulation were used to describe the result. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was fitted to compute older sibling influence. Results: Perceiving older sibling sexual behavior as risky increased adolescents' likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. (AOR 4.52, 95% CI 2.59-7.89) whereas high intimacy with an older sibling (AOR 0.32, 95% CI 0.17-0.59) decreased the odds of risky sexual behavior (AOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.30-0.92). Conclusion: Older siblings had an influence on the sexual behavior of youngr adolescents. Perceiving older sibling sexual behavior as healthy and high sibling intimacy may serve as protective factors; however, risky sexual behavior of an older sibling can increase high school adolescents' likelihood for same. As such, families should realize that elders can affect their younger siblings' behavior, included the former in family strategies, and give them responsibility to protect their younger siblings.

Multiple sexual partnerships among female adolescents in rural Uganda: the effects of family structure and school attendance

BACKGROUND

A better understanding is needed of the contextual factors that influence HIV risk behaviors among female adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study were to assess the influence of family structure on lifetime sexual partners and on the number of sexual partners in the last year among female adolescents in rural Rakai, Uganda. In addition, the study assessed whether the influence of family structure on these outcomes differed by the school attendance status of the adolescents.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 2337 unmarried adolescent girls, aged 15-19, enrolled in the Rakai Community Cohort Study. The last survey interview within the time period of 2001-2008 available for each girl was used. Analyses were stratified by age (15-17 year olds and 18-19 year olds) and school status. Multinomial logistic and poisson regressions were used.

RESULTS

Living in a household with a biological father was protective against both outcomes. Family structure was not associated with the outcomes among in-school adolescents but it was significantly associated with the outcomes among out-of-school adolescents.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that understanding the familial context in which female adolescents develop, as well as its interaction with school attendance, is important for HIV prevention efforts. Both research and programmatic initiatives must consider the interplay between the family and school domains when considering ways to reduce HIV acquisition among adolescent women.

Support and Strain in Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents’ Sibling Relationships

Social support and social strain in adolescent mothers’ sibling relationships were investigated. Participants were 536 (93% African American), primarily low-income, adolescents attending an alternative school for pregnant and parenting teens. More than half of the participants nominated at least one sibling as a source of support. Older sisters were nominated twice as often as any other sibling group. In addition, older sisters provided both the greatest variety and amount of support in comparison to the other sibling groups. Support from older sisters was not associated with adolescent mothers’ psychological adjustment. However, strain in relationships with older brothers and older sisters was associated with increased psychological distress.

Sibling teenage pregnancy and clinic-referred girls' condom use: The protective role of maternal monitoring

Younger sisters of teenage parents have elevated rates of engaging in unprotected sex. This may result from changes in parenting behavior after a sibling becomes pregnant or impregnates a partner, and be particularly pronounced for girls seeking mental health treatment. The current study examines condom use over time in 211 African-American girls recruited from outpatient psychiatric clinics. Findings indicate that having a sibling with a teenage pregnancy history predicts less consistent condom use two years later. After accounting for earlier condom use and mental health problems, maternal monitoring moderates condom use such that for girls with a sibling with a pregnancy history, more vigilant maternal monitoring is associated with increased condom use, while for girls with no sibling pregnancy history, maternal monitoring is unrelated to adolescents' condom use two years later. Findings suggest that targeted interventions to increase maternal monitoring of high-risk teens may be beneficial for girls with a sibling history of teenage pregnancy.

Perceptions of siblings' sexual activity predict sexual attitudes among at-risk adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Most American youth have siblings. This study examined the influence of early adolescents' perceptions of their older sibling's sexual activity on their own sexual attitudes and behaviors.

METHODS

Early adolescents (ages 12-14) at risk for emotional/behavioral problems reported on attitudes towards sex, sexual behaviors, and perception of older siblings' and peers' sexual activity and perceived parental approval toward sex. The sample was divided into 3 groups: teens who thought their older sibling was not having sex (N = 119), teens who believed their sibling was sexually active (N = 55), and teens without an older sibling (N = 170).

RESULTS

Teens who thought their older sibling was not having sex scored higher in valuing abstinence and lower on perceptions of peer sex and maternal approval toward sex than teens who perceived their sibling to be having sex and teens without an older sibling. Regarding behaviors, teens who thought their older sibling was not having sex were less likely to endorse making out, touching genitals, oral sex, and vaginal sex compared with teens who thought their older sibling was having sex.

CONCLUSIONS

Perceptions that older siblings abstain from sexual activity may be a protective factor for more conservative attitudes towards sex and decreased sexual activity among young at-risk teens. A single question about perceptions of siblings' sexual behaviors can be integrated into health care visits to introduce conversations about age-appropriate sexual decision-making.

Family Relationships and Adolescents' Health Attitudes and Weight: The Understudied Role of Sibling Relationships

Family relationships are important predictors of adolescents' diet, physical activity, and health issues including obesity. Despite their prominence in the family, siblings have received little attention on how they may influence these health-related behaviors. Addressing this gap, the present study examined associations between sibling relationship qualities and adolescents' health attitudes, exercise behaviors, and weight controlling for other family relationship qualities. Participants included one parent and two adolescent siblings (ages 12 to 19) from 326 families. Multilevel models indicated that net of parent-adolescent relationship qualities and adolescents' personal characteristics, sibling intimacy was related to healthy attitudes and greater exercise behaviors, whereas sibling conflict was associated with increased risk of being overweight. Links between sibling conflict and weight status, however, were further qualified by gender composition of the sibling dyad. Results highlight the significance of sibling relationships in adolescents' everyday health attitudes and behaviors and implications for intervention efforts are discussed.

The role of economic strain on adolescent delinquency: a microsocial process model

The current study examines the role of economic strain as a moderator of the microsocial processes influencing younger siblings' delinquency (externalizing behavior and substance use) in a longitudinal design. The younger siblings (122 younger brothers and 122 younger sisters) were from 244 families with same-sex biological siblings. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine a process model whereby mothers' harsh/inconsistent parenting and older sibling delinquency influence younger siblings' delinquent behavior via sibling aggression and delinquent peer affiliation. Findings suggest that indirect mechanisms vary as a function of economic strain, with sibling aggression having a stronger, more detrimental effect on adolescent delinquency in economically strained families. Data suggest that familial economic conditions contextualize the relative roles of parenting, sibling, and peer processes in the transmission of risk to adolescent delinquency.

The third rail of family systems: sibling relationships, mental and behavioral health, and preventive intervention in childhood and adolescence

Sibling relationships are an important context for development, but are often ignored in research and preventive interventions with youth and families. In childhood and adolescence, siblings spend considerable time together, and siblings' characteristics and sibling dynamics substantially influence developmental trajectories and outcomes. This paper reviews research on sibling relationships in childhood and adolescence, focusing on sibling dynamics as part of the family system and sibling influences on adjustment problems, including internalizing and externalizing behaviors and substance use. We present a theoretical model that describes three key pathways of sibling influence: one that extends through siblings' experiences with peers and school, and two that operate largely through family relationships. We then describe the few existing preventive interventions that target sibling relationships and discuss the potential utility of integrating siblings into child and family programs.

Sibling influences on adolescent substance use: the role of modeling, collusion, and conflict

The longitudinal associations of older sibling substance use as well as dyadic sibling conflict and collusion to younger sibling substance use were examined in a community-based sample of 244 same-sex sibling pairs. Indirect effects of older siblings on younger sibling substance use were hypothesized via younger sibling deviant peer affiliation and conflict with friends. Adolescents, parents, friends, and teachers completed measures of substance use, conflict, and deviant peer involvement. Observational data were used for both measures of collusion and conflict. Findings suggest that older sibling substance use has a direct effect on younger sibling use, but relationship dynamics and reinforcement played a significant role as well. Specifically, collusion and conflict in the sibling relationship both had indirect effects through younger siblings' deviant peer affiliation. Findings validate the powerful socializing role of both siblings and peers, and elucidate the complex mechanisms through which socialization occurs. Furthermore, data underscore the importance of considering how multiple dimensions of socialization operate in the elaboration of antisocial behavior.

Association between adolescent pregnancy and a family history of teenage births

CONTEXT

The extent to which young women's risk of adolescent pregnancy is associated with having a mother who was a teenage parent, a sister who was a teenage parent or both is not known.

METHODS

A sample of 127 Latina and black adolescent females completed in-depth surveys at three time points between 1994 and 2000. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether socioeconomic factors, mothers' parenting characteristics and certain sibling relationship qualities explain the association between a family history of teenage births and young women's risk of pregnancy.

RESULTS

Compared with young women with no family history of teenage births, young women whose sister had had a teenage birth and those whose sister and mother both had had teenage births were significantly more likely to experience a teenage pregnancy (odds ratios, 4.8 and 5.1, respectively). Young women who had only a sister who had had a teenage birth had greater odds of pregnancy than young women who had only a mother who had had a teenage birth (4.5). Having both a mother and a sister who had had teenage births was independently associated with an elevated risk of pregnancy (3.7), even after controlling for socioeconomic and mothers' parenting characteristics. Frequent companionship with an older sister was associated with increased odds of teenage pregnancy (4.5); frequent conflict with an older sister who had had a teenage birth was marginally associated with decreased odds of the outcome (0.3).

CONCLUSION

Pregnancy prevention interventions targeting young women according to maternal and sibling teenage birth histories may be effective.

Longitudinal pathways linking family factors and sibling relationship qualities to adolescent substance use and sexual risk behaviors

This 3-wave, 5-year longitudinal study tested the contributions of family contextual factors and sibling relationship qualities to younger siblings' substance use, sexual risk behaviors, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted disease. More than 220 non-White families participated (67% Latino and 33% African American), all of which involved a younger sibling (133 girls and 89 boys; mean age = 13.6 years at Time 1) and an older sister (mean age = 17 years at Time 1). Results from structural equation latent growth curve modeling indicated that qualities of the sibling relationship (high older sister power, low warmth/closeness, and low conflict) mediated effects from several family risks (mothers' single parenting, older sisters' teen parenting, and family's receipt of aid) to younger sibling outcomes. Model results were generally stronger for sister-sister pairs than for sister-brother pairs. Findings add to theoretical models that emphasize the role of family and parenting processes in shaping sibling relationships, which, in turn, influence adolescent outcomes.

Child and adolescent HIV risk: familial and cultural perspectives

The authors' goal is to review and integrate theory and research focused on the impact of the family, within a cultural perspective, on HIV prevention in childhood and adolescence. Families' impact on adolescents' HIV risk and prevention is examined through the lens of culture, focusing on the individual adolescent factors and family-level influences that converge to determine adolescents' HIV risk status. Family-based risk and health socialization during childhood and adolescence is theoretically and empirically evaluated, from developmental, cultural, and communication perspectives. The influence of families on adolescents' HIV knowledge, risk, and prevention strategies is explored from a developmental perspective. Finally, a future research agenda, focused on remaining issues that affect the ability to understand and modify HIV risk in adolescence, is outlined.

Sibling influence, gender roles, and the sexual socialization of urban early adolescent girls

This study examined whether older siblings influence early adolescent girls' sexual socialization. Participants were 180 girls, 12 to 14-years-old, from predominantly ethnic minority backgrounds. They completed a battery of interviewer-administered measures assessing a range of sexual cognitions and romantic and sexual behaviors. As predicted, compared with other girls, girls with older brothers placed greater value in becoming a parent, had lower levels of sexual responsivity or interest, and reported smaller age discrepancies between themselves and their partners for their first romantic kiss. Regardless of sibling sex, having older siblings was associated with more restrictive sexual cognitions and behaviors. Findings are interpreted in the context of sexual script theory.

Family influences on adolescent sexual and contraceptive behavior

Studies of adolescent pregnancy risk are relevant to understanding responsible adolescent sexual behavior because most investigators have focused on the key proximal determinants of pregnancy--sexual intercourse and contraceptive use--rather than analyzing pregnancy status per se. Lesser pregnancy risk is associated with teens remaining sexually abstinent, postponing onset of intercourse, and having intercourse less often or with fewer partners, as well as by using contraception at first or most recent intercourse and by using contraception consistently over time. Living with a single parent, in a lower SES family, having older sexually active siblings or pregnant/parenting teenage sisters, being a victim of sexual abuse, and residing in disorganized/dangerous neighborhoods all place teens at elevated risk of adolescent pregnancy. Parent-child closeness or connectedness, and parental supervision or regulation of children, in combination with parents values against teen intercourse (or unprotected intercourse), decrease the risk of adolescent pregnancy. Studies about parent-child sexual communication and adolescent pregnancy risk are less conclusive, largely because of methodological complexities.

The younger siblings of teenage mothers: a follow-up of their pregnancy risk

This study followed 243 younger brothers and younger sisters of parenting teens and nonparenting teens across a 1.5-year period. The average age of siblings was 13.6 years at Time 1 and 15 years at Time 2. Relative to other youths, the sisters of parenting teens exhibited a sharp increase in drug and alcohol use and partying behavior across time and had the highest pregnancy rate at Time 2 (15%). The siblings of parenting teens spent 10 hr a week caring for their sisters' children, and, for girls, many hours of child care was associated with negative outcomes including permissive sexual behavior. Findings suggest that the younger sisters of parenting teens are at very high risk of early pregnancy and that this risk becomes increasingly pronounced across time.