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Causes Of Sibling Rivalry

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Sibling Rivalry Causes Depression in Mother's Favorite Child: Study
By Barbara Odozi | Submitted On February 02, 2016

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Sibling rivalry has existed as long as families and has been a concern for most parents. Even though parents usually try to equally distribute their love among all their children, they do feel differently about them depending on their personalities, differing needs, dispositions and place in the family. …show more content…
The influence of siblings on one another can be enormous and that parental favoritism is associated with lower self-esteem and higher rates of anxiety and depression in the favored child.

What causes sibling rivalry?

Studies suggest that children are highly sensitive of how they're being treated by their parents. They may pick up on any kind of disparity and act out to get attention. When a parent showers more love and attention to his or her favorite child and is unable to monitor the problems between children, often the siblings and their relationships suffer. The following reasons can be held responsible for conflicts among the young siblings:

Position in the family: Based on age and maturity level, the oldest child may be burdened with responsibilities of the younger children. At times, a younger child makes concerted efforts to be at par with the older sibling, even if it damages his self-esteem or psychological well-being.

Gender: In certain families, a son may hate his sister because parents are gentler with her, while a daughter may wish she could go on outdoor trips more often like her …show more content…
A study by researchers at Purdue University suggests that adults who believe they are their mother's favorite child are at an increased risk of depression and anxiety. In the study, the researchers analyzed the data of 725 adults, with their mothers aged between 65 and 75 years, from 309 families. Starting in 2001, the study was conducted in two phases seven years apart.

The researchers focused on the children's relationships with their mothers with greater emphasis on four dimensions of favoritism - emotional closeness, conflict, pride and disappointment. Interestingly, the siblings continued to compare themselves with each other well into middle age and these constant appraisal and judgments were the root cause of unhappiness. The children who were closer to their mothers were more likely to experience tension from their siblings and feel a greater responsibility for taking care of their aging mothers.

The findings shed light on the role of relationships among adult siblings in midlife, by taking into consideration the children's perception regarding their mother's

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