Adult sibling relationships, shame and vulnerability to depression

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. This research has examined adult sibling relationship factors (warmth, rivalry, conflict, sibling comparisons and shaming and put down) in relation to external shame and depression.DESIGN. This is based on a case control study design. A cross-sectional design was chosen in order to increase the response rate.METHODS. The sample includes 33 depressed and 49 control participants. All participants completed the following measures the Adult Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (ASRQ), Sibling Comparison scale, Others as Shamer, Sibling Put Down and Shaming questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II).RESULTS. This research has found that rivalry; negative sibling comparisons, put down and shaming and external shame were significantly more likely to occur in a depressed group. Warmth within a sibling relationship was significantly more likely to occur in the control group. It seems that the following dimensions were highly correlated (i) external shame and sibling comparisons (ii) external shame and rivalry (iii) depression and external shame (iv) sibling put down/shaming and external shame. Furthermore, how often siblings see each other significantly contributes to warmth and rivalry higher order dimensions. In terms of factors affecting how often siblings see each other, it seems that gender contributes to this, with females having more contact with their sibling. Sibling dyad (sister-sister, brother-brother, sister -brother) also appears to affect contact, in which sister-sister relationships have the most contact. The results found in this research have been examined in relation to current literature and clinical practice.