The Role of Gender and Conflict in Young Adult Sibling Relationships: How Conflict Changes as Siblings Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood

Siblings can play a major role in the lives of children, teenagers, and adults. This study examined the relationship between siblings as they transitioned from adolescence into early adulthood when at least one of the siblings was in college. The main areas of focus within the sibling relationship were conflict, warmth, and gender roles. Union College students (6 male, 49 female) completed questionnaires assessing their relationships with the sibling who was closest to them in age. Students reported on the frequency and intensity of conflict when they and their siblings were in high school and living together; they also reported on the present levels of conflict with their siblings. Sibling warmth and intimacy were assessed in the present only. Based on previous studies, I hypothesized that siblings would engage in less conflict in the present than in the past because as they became older and attended college, they would be more mature and spend less time together. However, I found that siblings reported more conflict in the present than in the past. This result may be due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were suddenly sent home from college, unable to escape their homes and families. When college life resumed again, this lingering reduction of their independence and the unprecedented situation could have resulted in higher levels of sibling conflict. I hypothesized that siblings further apart in age would report less conflict than siblings closer in age, and this result was trending towards significant. In addition, my hypothesis that same-gender siblings would report more conflict than mixed-gender siblings was supported. Lastly, I hypothesized that warmth and intimacy, or an overall feeling of closeness, would be greater in same-gender siblings as compared to mixed-gender siblings; however, there was no difference in closeness between mixed-gender and same-gender siblings. Overall, I found more frequent and more intense conflict between siblings in the present as compared to the past. It could be beneficial to examine the sibling relationship again after the pandemic is over and see if conflict levels go back to being lower as siblings grow older.