Siblings Improve Adult Psychosocial Health of Individuals who Experienced Parental Divorce in Childhood

Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, have been found to have a significant negative impact on childhood and adult health, both physical and psychological. In the U.S., parental divorce is one of the most common ACEs. Recent research has focused on ways to buffer against the negative health effects associated with ACEs. Sibling relationships have been found to lead to improved health and psychosocial functioning in high conflict households. This study explores whether the presence of siblings also improves health and psychosocial functioning in the context of parental divorce. The study reported in this thesis analyzes data from a previous study to determine if siblings are a potential buffer against the negative effects correlated with parental divorce. Results indicate that the number of siblings does positively impact psychosocial functioning in adulthood of individuals who experienced parental divorce as a child. These findings can be used to guide future research in understanding the importance of sibling relationships for the health of individuals who have experienced parental divorce.