Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Sociology

The majority of Americans have siblings, who provide one another with warmth, support, and friendship, and also serve as a source of conflict, throughout the life course. Past research shows that sibling relationship quality influences mental health and self-concept. Over the past several decades, as more parents break up and re-partner, a substantial proportion of America's youth grow up with half-siblings or step-siblings. Limited research has examined how sibling relationship quality with half-siblings or step-siblings differs from those with full-siblings, however. Using Waves II and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, drawing from the core sample (N = 8,402) and the residential sibling pairs sample (N = 1,753), this dissertation examines the following three questions : (1) Does residential sibling relationship quality in adolescence, measured as feelings of love, fights, and time spent together, vary across full-siblings, half-siblings, and step-siblings, controlling for variation by sibling type in family characteristics, such as mother-child relationship quality, father-child relationship quality, and family belonging? (2) Does sibling relationship quality in young adulthood, measured as visits, phone calls, help-seeking, fights, and emotional closeness, vary by sibling type, controlling for sibling relationship quality during adolescence? (3) Does the association between relationship quality with residential siblings in adolescence and mental health and self-concept in young adulthood differ across the three residential sibling types? The findings suggest that among residential siblings, with the same family characteristics, relationships with step-siblings are more distant than those with full-siblings or half-siblings, while relationships with half-siblings are similar to those with full-siblings, both in adolescence iii and young adulthood. Emotionally close relationships and fights with siblings in adolescence are as (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kei Nomaguchi Dr. (Advisor); Amy Morgan Dr. (Other); Karen Guzzo Dr. (Committee Member); I-Fen Lin Dr. (Committee Member); Wendy Manning Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2017, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

There has been a rising interest in addiction medicine and addiction treatment in both the medical and behavioral health science fields. Research suggests having a family member with a substance abuse problem has negative impacts on both physical and mental health (Orford, Copello, Velleman, & Templeton, 2010a). Despite advances toward understanding the experiences of family members affected by a loved one's addiction, the siblings of substance abusers have been largely excluded from scientific research and literature. As a result, little is known about how siblings experience the impacts of a brother or sister's addiction; even less is known about the experiences of adolescent siblings sharing a home with a substance-abusing sibling. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of and meanings made by adolescents living with the phenomenon of a sibling's addiction. Five adolescents participated in a semi-structured interview exploring the question: What is it like to be the brother or sister of a person with a substance abuse problem? Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze data and six themes were identified: personal impact; familial impact; social impact; coping strategies; shared ways of knowing, being, and seeing; and ways of understanding. The results indicated siblings experience profound emotional and relational impacts, which include stress, anxiety, sadness, and anger as a result of the trauma, betrayal, and grief associated with a sibling's substance abuse. Experiences of invalidation within the family and stigmatization within the community were associated with strained relationships and increased isolation. A comparison of the results to existing research on adult siblings of substance abusers revealed the negative impacts experienced by adolescent siblings of substance abusers continue into adulthood. Participants' ability to identify and describe these negative impacts directly contributes to the health care fi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mary Wieneke Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jane Harmon-Jacobs Ph.D. (Committee Member); Barbara Lui Ph.D. (Committee Member); Phil Cushman Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Families and Family Life; Health Care; Health Education; Health Sciences; Mental Health; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Public Health; Public Health Education; School Counseling; Social Psychology; Social Research; Social Work; Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2016, Marriage and Family Counseling/Therapy

This quantitative research study investigated forgiveness in adult sibling relationships. The goal of this study was to investigate forgiveness in adult sibling relationships and the role of relational ethics and relational satisfaction. A thorough review of the literature on Contextual theory and forgiveness in the MFT field is presented. One hundred and seventy-eight participants were included in the study to address the hypotheses, which include: (1) higher levels of relational ethics in sibling relationships are positively and significantly correlated with higher levels of forgiveness; (2) relational satisfaction in sibling relationships is significantly and positively correlated with forgiveness in sibling relationships; (3) relational ethics in sibling relationships is significantly and positively correlated with relational satisfaction in adult sibling relationships; and (4) relational satisfaction mediates the relationship between relational ethics and sibling forgiveness, such that higher levels of relational ethics will in turn lead to higher levels of relational satisfaction, which would in turn lead to higher levels of forgiveness. A discussion of the findings, limitations of the study, research and clinical implications, and direction for further research are addressed after the conclusion of the study.

Committee: Karin Jordan PhD (Committee Chair) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Personal Relationships

Master of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology, Cleveland State University, 2009, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of communicating forgiveness within adult sibling relationships. Specifically, this study investigated the relationship between seeking forgiveness and attachment style, the relational outcomes of forgiveness, and forgiveness as a relational maintenance strategy. A total of 172 participants were surveyed in order to acquire as many participants as possible with adult siblings. Forgiveness seeking communication was represented by Kelley's (1998) typology of forgiveness tactics which included explicit acknowledgment, indirect tactics, and compensational-conditional tactics. In addition to Kelley's typology, a choice of “do nothing” was included to enable participants to express no forgiveness seeking tactic. Generally, the findings indicated that a significant relationship emerged between secure attachment style and the communication forgiveness tactics. The more positive individuals' attitude toward forgiveness the more relational satisfaction they experience in their adult sibling relationship. Furthermore, results indicated that individuals who use more positive relational maintenance strategies in their adult sibling relationships are more likely to use one of the three communication forgiveness message types of explicit acknowledgment, indirect tactics, and/or compensational-conditional tactics when seeking forgiveness from their adult sibling. In addition, the findings indicated that attitude toward forgiveness is a mediator in the relationship of forgiveness message type and two of the three attachment styles (avoidant and secure). Lastly, an analysis of open-ended responses revealed that individuals sought out forgiveness from their adult siblings most often in incidences where verbal aggressive messages occurred. Findings indicate that actively seeking forgiveness using one of Kelley's (1998) forgiveness tactics is related to secure attachment style, however avoidant and anxious-ambivalent attachment styles we (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jill E. Rudd PhD (Advisor); Guowei Jian PhD (Committee Member); Kimberly A. Neuendorf PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Families and Family Life; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Social Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

Parentification, or parent-child role reversal, occurs when children and adolescents take on parental responsibilities within the family (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Spark, 1973). This can include caring for younger siblings, attending to their parents' emotional needs, and assisting with tasks such as translation. Parentification disrupts family dynamics as parents transfer significant responsibilities to the child (Martino & Coburn, 2022). Extensive research consistently demonstrates the negative impact of parentification on children, leading to depression, suicidal feelings, shame, guilt, worry, and social isolation (Jurkovic, 1997). It can also contribute to the development of conduct disorders. Unfortunately, these difficulties often go unnoticed. However, when it comes to language brokering, which can be viewed as a similar experience to parentification as indicated by research, it can yield some positive results, such as developing new skills, improving self-esteem, and contributing to family survival (Kam et al., 2017; Martino & Coburn, 2022). Limited research exists on factors that alleviate the impact of parentification in Latine and Hispanic households, and despite its potential harm, parentification is often rationalized by families for various reasons. Familismo, a cultural value emphasizing loyalty and community within the family (Ayon et al., 2010) may play a significant role in the experiences of Latine parentified individuals. Familismo promotes unity, support, and loyalty within the family, resulting in enhanced self-esteem, a strong sense of belonging, and deep respect for the cultural community and family members (Fuligni et al., 1999; Ayon et al., 2010, Montero & Ceballo, 2021; Walker et al., 2022). This quantitative study demonstrates that familismo acts as a moderator in the relationship between parentification and depression. Specifically, this study reveals that higher levels of familismo weaken the link between parentification and depression. This d (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kevin Lyness Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Denzel Jones Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bryson Greaves Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Hispanic American Studies; Hispanic Americans; Individual and Family Studies; Latin American Studies; Mental Health; Therapy

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, English

You Have to Save Something is a collection of nonfiction essays about growing up in Appalachia as the eldest daughter in a blue-collar, working-class family. The writer narrates profound moments with her family, especially with her brothers and their friends in a small community where they gained insight into their economic place, their losses, their abilities, their father's tremendous work ethic, and their mother's depression along with her particularly harsh methods of punishment. Memory and story are often connected to and shared through treasured objects that were and remain connected to the fabric of the family's life and to the writer herself. At the heart of these essays is a fondness for the place and the people that endures throughout the writer's life and into the present day.

Committee: Elissa Washuta (Advisor) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Folklore; Social Structure

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2023, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

This study examined relations among parenting practices and the quality of the relationship between a neurotypically-developing child and their sibling with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a retrospective survey design, participants raised with a sibling with ASD were asked to report on two types of parentification (sibling-focused and parent-focused) and the degree to which their parents communicated with them about their sibling's diagnosis during their childhood and adolescent years. Additionally, participants were asked to self-report on the quality of the relationship with their sibling with ASD as well as their subjective rating of the severity of their sibling's ASD diagnosis. Based on my review of the literature, I hypothesized that parent-focused parentification would be negatively correlated with sibling relationship quality while the converse will be found for sibling-focused parentification. Only a positive correlation was found between sibling-focused parentification and sibling relationship quality. This finding indicates that prosocial behaviors are linked to a positive sibling bond. Contrary to expectations, the moderation analyses used to examine whether proactive parent communication about the ASD sibling's diagnosis would moderate the relationship between parentification types and sibling relationship quality were found to be unsupported. Furthermore, for my second set of hypotheses in which I hypothesized that ASD severity would be associated with worse sibling relationship quality and that both types of parentification would mediate this relationship were also found to be unsupported. Theories as to why none of neither of the moderation nor mediation analyses were significant are discussed in addition to implications for parenting and research.

Committee: Julia Phillips (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Goncy (Committee Member); Graham Stead (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Sociology

The significant influx of immigrants into the United States over the past several decades has transformed higher education. This growth is largely driven by immigrant parents who push their children towards this pathway, captured by such narratives as the “immigrant drive” and “immigrant bargain,” as well as parent-child interdependency most common among young adults with two immigrant parents, which can become a tension-creating process. Beyond intergenerational expectations, siblings may also be meaningful for educational mobility. Specifically, and in this thesis, I analyze whether intrageneration dynamics benefit younger siblings through, for instance, the sharing of knowledge about college, or undercut educational aspirations and attainment owing to resource dilution within families. My discussion draws upon prior work on immigrants, kinship ties, and brokering, and my analyses use data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS). Results provide more support for the resource dilution perspective. Specifically, the overall number of siblings and just having an older sibling negatively impact both aspirations during high school and eventual college going and completion. Such effects diminish somewhat once SES and family context are accounted for in the modeling. I conclude by discussing my most central findings and calling for richer data collection on immigrant populations—data collection that is more exhaustive in capturing key aspects of family, including sibling interaction, as well as educational experiences and vulnerabilities.

Committee: Vincent Roscigno (Committee Co-Chair); Rin Reczek (Committee Member); Reanne Frank (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Apparel, Textiles, and Merchandising (Education)

Sisters are likely to be fashion consumption influencers to one another, but little research exists investigating this relationship. Therefore, in this research I examined, through interviews with nine sister pairs, their fashion influences on one another and investigated the interrelated roles of “sister” and “fashion consumption influencer.” The aim of this study was to understand the way that sister pairs, one of whom is a member of Generation Z (born between 1996 & 2015), influence one another with respect to fashion shopping and consumption. Results add support to family development and systems theory literature, fashion leadership literature, as well as providing helpful insight to fashion retailers and marketers. Content analysis of the qualitative data supports the role of sisters as fashion influencers and leaders, though to personalized and differing extents as revealed in the results presented in Chapters 4 and 5.

Committee: Ann Paulins V. (Advisor); Jennifer Chabot (Committee Member); Hyeyoon Choi (Committee Member); Ann Paulins V. (Advisor) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Families and Family Life

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 0, Sociology

Siblings have the greatest history of shared experiences and are often the longest held relationship across an individual's life course. American immigrant sibling have been found to have even stronger bonds compared to the native born population as immigrant siblings become closer through the process of migration. The acculturative gap model suggests that children acculturate faster than their parents. This leads to parents depending on their children to navigate through social institutions by acting as language and cultural brokers. Arab Americans families are an interesting immigrant subgroup to examine as they are one of the fastest growing immigrant populations and have been found to be more orthodox than other immigrant subgroups, especially in relation in gender roles and expectation. This project aims to answer two questions.1) What roles do Arab Americans' siblings hold in each other's lives as related to their birth order and gender? 2) In what ways does the sibling relationship play a part in the acculturative process for Arab Americans? Through analysis of 21 in-depth interviews with Arab Americans that have siblings across the US, I find that while elder siblings within Arab American families tend to have a greater number of responsibilities than their younger siblings, elder sisters are more frequently tasked with cultural brokering and caretaking responsibilities for their families. In addition, despite elder sisters having greater levels of responsibility, this did not translate into elder sisters having more authority. Elder sisters were policed in their acculturative experiences at higher rates than their brothers. This caused for strain in the relationship between sisters and their brothers. In response to the acculturative restrictions of their sisters, Arab American brothers either supported the gendered differential treatment, or implicitly attempted to create equality in ways that did not cause conflict between them and their parents. This stu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sarah Hayford (Advisor); Reanne Frank (Committee Member); Rin Reczek (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2022, Psychology

Over the past two decades, public health research has demonstrated that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with significant and prolonged physical and mental health problems (Campbell et al., 2016; Felitti et al., 1998; Gilbert et al., 2015; Greif Green et al., 2010; Horwitz et al., 2001; Mersky et al., 2013), demanding investigation into factors that may mitigate such poor outcomes. One potential factor that may attenuate the negative impact of ACEs on individuals' mental health is social support. An important source of social support is sibling relationships (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985; Goetting, 1986; Lempers & Clark-Lempers, 1992; Scholte et al., 2001; Wellman & Wortley, 1989). The purpose of the current study was to examine if the perceived quality of sibling relationships may moderate the negative impact of ACEs on wellbeing in adulthood. Data was collected from a total of 439 participants (Mage = 35.06, SD = 11.20; 73.6% White or European American; 62.4% male). Results revealed that sibling relationships characterized by higher perceived warmth—and, interestingly, higher perceived conflict and rivalry—attenuated the negative impact of ACEs on wellbeing in adulthood. Additionally, higher ACE-IQ scores predicted lower wellbeing when participants' overall sibling relationship was characterized by relatively high, but not low, perceived quality. Future research should consider the nuances in the measurement of conflict and rivalry in the context of sibling relationships, and conceptualize overall sibling relationship quality accordingly. Such research will help determine whether overall sibling relationship quality is a factor that can mitigate the negative impact of ACEs on wellbeing.

Committee: Tammy Sonnentag Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kathleen Hart Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Member); Stacey Raj Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Developmental Psychology; Families and Family Life; Health; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Public Health

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Sociology

In the United States, school discipline remains a central fixture in the lives of students, teachers, administrators, and (by extension) families, peers, and romantic partners. Previous work has shown a robust association between exclusionary school punishment (i.e., suspensions, expulsions) and a variety of negative immediate and long-term outcomes. Much of the previous work, however, fixates on the punished individual, forgoing the role that key network actors outside of delinquent peers play in attenuating or exacerbating these pathways from school punishment to offending. This re-conceptualization lends support from the life course perspective and the potential role that “linked lives” play alongside turning points in altering individual life trajectories. Using the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), this dissertation examines the connection of formal punishment experiences from family and romantic partners (both school punishment and arrest/incarceration) to both immediate and long-term consequences stemming from individual school punishment experiences. Analyses begin with using regression techniques to test how family punishment experiences impact school attachment in adolescence, exclusionary school punishment, and adult criminal justice contact. Next, analyses focus on the role of romantic partner punishment experiences and test how relationship punishment matrices influence deviance amplification across adolescence and relationship quality. Finally, analyses tests the connection between cumulative network punishments and offending as it differs across race/ethnicity and gender. Full results indicate partial support for this reconceptualization of viewing punishment outside of the individual context. Formal punishments for parents and siblings have the potential to influence the process of detachment from school and criminal justice contact across adolescence and into adulthood. However, romantic partners' school discipline and arrest histo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Monica Longmore PhD (Advisor); Peggy Giordano PhD (Committee Member); Paul Schauer PhD (Other); Thomas Mowen PhD (Committee Member); Wendy Manning PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Psychology/Clinical

Adolescents living in disadvantaged neighborhood contexts experience higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems. Although social support promotes resilience in youth exposed to neighborhood stressors, few studies have considered both perceived quality and time exposure to support sources when investigating social support effects within neighborhood contexts. Additionally, the literature primarily focuses on the effects of perceived friend and parental support, whereas no studies have examined the role of peer-age relatives, such as siblings or cousins, on youths' behavioral outcomes. This study investigated relationships between perceptions of social support quality, time exposure to sources of support, experiences of neighborhood social processes, and emotional and behavioral health for adolescents recruited from low-income, inner-city neighborhoods. The final sample included 54 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years (43% female) who completed interviews involving detailed time diaries of their routine activities. Time diaries were coded to calculate the percentage of out-of-school wake time that adolescents spent alone and with adult and peer-age relatives and nonfamilial peers. Adolescents also completed self-report questionnaires about their perceived family and friend support, aggressive behaviors, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being. Bivariate correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions were used to explore relationships among the perceived social support, social exposure, and behavioral health variables. Hierarchical multiple regressions were also used to determine whether neighborhood collective efficacy moderated the effects of perceived social support and social exposure on youths' behavioral outcomes. The overall pattern of findings supported that adolescents who spend more time around adult relatives report fewer depressive symptoms, regardless of their perceptions of the quality of their family support. Alternatively, adolescents (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carolyn Tompsett Ph.D. (Advisor); Eric Dubow Ph.D. (Committee Member); Dara Musher-Eizenman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Matthew Lavery Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Mental Health; Social Structure

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Speech-Language Pathology (Health Sciences and Professions)

In the present study, six children with autism spectrum disorder and their siblings participated in a joint intervention experience where Comic Strip Conversations (CSCs; Gray, 1994) were utilized as an intervention medium. In their creation of CSCs based on a given social scenario, children were prompted by the experimenter to take on the role of a character, provide the dialogue and emotions, then contribute to the solution to the problem presented in the scenario. Pictures of siblings portraying each panel of the comic were taken and converted to an electronic story using an iPad. Subsequently, the siblings participated in a cooperative game where their engagement in reciprocal and independent turn taking and instances of helping behaviors were analyzed. Caregivers and children shared their perspectives on the intervention experience through semi-structured interviews. Individual differences emerged in children's game playing behaviors across sibling pairs and sessions. Caregiver satisfaction with the intervention was high and children reported enjoying the intervention activities. Children's desire to participate in future interventions with their was mixed. Limitations, future directions, and considerations for family-centered practice are discussed.

Committee: Joann Benigno Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Speech Therapy

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: School Psychology

A multiple baseline across sibling pairs design was used to analyze the effects of a home-based, sibling-implemented repeated reading (RR) intervention on younger sibling oral reading fluency (ORF). Participants included four elementary students and their older siblings, all of whom were enrolled in a small, public school district. The sibling pairs completed the RR intervention procedures in their homes. Target variables included younger siblings' ORF and errors and the older siblings' adherence to intervention procedures. ORF was assessed using curriculum based measures, and adherence was assessed using intervention checklists and audio recordings of intervention sessions. Visual analysis of the data indicated that experimental control was not established, and intervention adherence was low for three of the four participating sibling pairs. Data from the fourth sibling pair shows a potential positive impact of consistent intervention implementation on target student ORF; however, more time and replications would be necessary before establishing a functional relationship. Discussion focuses on the connections between the present study and previous research on RR and home-based interventions, as well as limitations and recommendations for future research.

Committee: Renee Oliver Hawkins Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Stephen Kroeger Ed.D. (Committee Member); Julie Morrison Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Reading Instruction

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2017, College of Sciences and Health Professions

Typically developing (TD) siblings of children with an Intellectual or Developmental Disability (IDD) are among those most influenced by their sibling's diagnosis. Factors such as increased family stress, lack of family communication, and negative sibling perception can play a role in leading to internalizing and externalizing problems from the TD child. A limit to the existing sibling relationship literature is that the relationships in families with a child with IDD have only been collected via self-report measures through which respondents have been found to fake their responses to avoid being perceived in certain ways. Conversely, implicit measures, such as the implicit association task (IAT) have been shown to uncover what a person may be feeling without a person having to explicitly report those feelings. This study aimed to bridge this gap in the extant literature by pairing self-report measures with an IAT by examining the association between typically developing youths' relationships with their IDD sibling and the TD youths' psychological adjustment. However, due to lack of sample size these relationships were unable to be examined. Instead, this study explored the links between family stress and the role of parental communication about the IDD sibling's disabilities and how those related to TD child adjustment and TD child perception of their IDD sibling.

Committee: YAROSLAVSKY ILYA PH.D (Committee Chair); GONCY ELIZABETH PH.D (Committee Member); FRANCE CHRIS PSY.D (Committee Member); KAHANA BOAZ PH.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Families and Family Life

Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology, Cleveland State University, 2015, College of Sciences and Health Professions

The purpose of this study was to document the communicative behaviors exhibited by sibling dyads comprised of one typically developing child (TDC) and their sibling diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (SibA). Six families (five families were Caucasian and one family was African American) participated in one 45-minute home observation, one semi-structured interview with the TDCs, and one semi-structured interview with the parents. Sibling dyads varied across birth order, ages, and genders. Observations revealed that the sibling dyads produced a variety of communicative behaviors. Observational data were coded to provide information on the types of communicative behaviors produced and their frequency of occurrence. Data were analyzed to reveal the types of communicative behaviors that both the TDCs and the SibAs produced, as well as the types of communicative behaviors produced only by the TDCs and only by the SibAs. The TDCs provided relevant answers to semi-structured interview questions about their interactions with their SibAs, and the parents provided relevant answers to semi-structured interview questions about their children's relationships. Four out of the six families provided strong evidence that suggested the possibility of sibling-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder. Two out of the six families provided some evidence that suggested the possibility of sibling-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Committee: Monica Gordon Pershey Ed.D. (Advisor); Myrita Wilhite Au.D., CCC-A (Committee Member); Colleen Walsh Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

MA, Kent State University, 2015, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Previous research has explored ways parents and peers serve as support for college students. Additionally, parental and peer support have been identified as protective factors for college dropout. However, few studies examine ways in which sibling relationships can be supportive for college students during this transition, and potentially serve as a protective factor for college dropout. The purpose of this study was to examine sibling support for college students. This study also examined sibling support for first-generation college students as well as students who are from non-intact families, both of whom are at higher risk for dropping out of college. The current study utilized a one-time online survey of undergraduate students at Kent State University (n = 290). Independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlations, and linear regression analyses were used to examine potential associations between sibling support (emotional and academic) and academic outcomes (GPA, academic aspirations, academic expectations). Sibling support (emotional and academic) did not differ based on generation status or family composition. Results indicated that sibling support (emotional), but no academic sibling support, was positively associated with GPA. Neither academic or emotional sibling support were related to students' academic aspirations or expectations. The associations between support and academic outcomes did not differ based on generation status or family composition.

Committee: Russell Toomey (Committee Co-Chair); Kelly Cichy (Committee Co-Chair); Maureen Blankemeyer (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life