Jerahmeel Bautista

ENGL 104-504
11/01/2016
Dr. LeeAnn Rudd
Research Question: How are peoples relationships with their
siblings affected by family composition? What are their reasons
for this?
Previous studies have found that firstborn children enjoy a distinct
advantage over their later-born counterparts in terms of various factors:
parental attention, educational attainment or aim for higher achievement.
The research in this paper is an advancement to the current knowledge in
this area by studying how peoples relationships with their siblings are
affected by the composition of their family (number of siblings, gender
composition, and age groups), whether or not they are the oldest amongst
their siblings. The results of the study also demonstrate a significant
positive effect of age on an individuals perceptions on their relationship
with their siblings.
Background
Studies show that eighty-five percent of adult Americans have at least
one sibling, yet an estimated three to ten percent have completely
severed contact with a brother or sister. Experts who study family
relationships also believe that such estrangements are on the rise, and
thats todays broader cultural freedoms have made it easier for people to
escape traditions and relatives. There are many cases of adolescents
leaving their homes or showing increases in aggressive behavior, due to
weak relationships or conflict with other family members. A research,
National Evaluation of Runaway and Homeless Youth, conducted by
Westat Inc. says that an estimated forty-seven percent of runaway youth
indicated that conflict between them and a family member was a major
problem. The results of this study aims to benefit those who do not have
the best relationships with their siblings, but may not fully understand as
to why. The data from this study will allow them empathize with others
who have similar problems and see what their reasons are, and use them
to justify their own.
METHODOLOGY
To get the necessary information from the researchers chosen population,
the researcher used online surveys, consisting of quick and close-ended
questions, and held interviews with other members of this discourse
community of different age groups.
The chosen population for this study is the student population of Texas
A&M University at Qatar. This is because the people within the population
are all in one age group (17-24 years old), and this is useful for the study
as it is also investigated whether age gap between siblings affects their
relationships. The online surveys web link is distributed to the students by

means of electronic mail. The survey is kept open for responses until the
desired hundred respondents is reached. Data collection was conducted
on a 24-hour basis, by keeping the survey open, for a period of 3 days, in
order to include as much of the population as possible.
The survey asks the respondent a series of ratings (1 4) and multiplechoice questions based on their satisfaction on their positions within their
respective families, along with their reasons for their choices. The
questions are divided between three groups; only-daughters, only-sons,
and the siblings of those who are only-daughters or sons.
The application used to create the online survey was
www.surveymonkey.com. The limitations that this caused were that only
10 questions were allowed per survey, therefore the questions asked were
very limited.
Conclusion

Fig 1.1

Fig 1.3

Fig 1.2

Fig 1.4

Fig 1.5

Fig 1.6

Fig 1.7

After the desired number of respondents have responded to the online

survey, the obtained data is plotted onto the graphs. Results show that
the greater majority of respondents are within the 17 19 age group (fig
1.1). The data from the online survey (fig 1.5 & 1.6) shows that there is
a greater majority of only-sons who have rated 1 2 (42%) compared to
only-daughters (34%), showing that only-sons generally feel a lower level
of satisfaction within their respective families. The main reasons that onlysons have for low satisfaction ratings (fig 1.3) are that they do not have
any brothers to talk to nor find more things in common with, and that they
find their parents to be over protective of them. Only-daughters, however,
are more satisfied (66% rating 3 4) with their family compositions,
saying that they appreciate getting all the attention from their parents
and not having to share any personal belongings. In the perspective of the
siblings of only-daughters and sons, a great majority (79%) has rated 3 4
(fig 1.7), and saying that they consider their brother/sister as one of their
best friends (fig 1.4).
In the graph of age group against the average rate per age group (fig
1.2), there is no clear correlation between the two factors. However, the
average rates for the age groups of 17-19 and 20-22 are much greater
than that of 23+ year olds, showing that older students have a much
lower satisfaction rating compared to younger students.
It can be concluded that family composition does affect ones relationship
with his or her siblings, but factors such as age gap and role (onlyson/daughter) may either have positive or negative effects on ones
satisfaction within their respective families. Future research directions
may lead to examining birth order, and by looking at the relationships
people have with their parents among emerging adults.

Works Cited Page

Funderburg, Lise. Why We Break Up With Our Siblings. TIME, 10 Dec. 2000,
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,91424,00.html. Accessed 25
Nov. 2016.
First-borns Get More Quality Time with Parents. Newswise, 22 Dec. 2006,
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/526202/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2016.
Van Volkom, Michele. The Effect of Birth Order and Sex on Perceptions of the Sibling
Relationship among College Students. ERIC, 2016.
http://eric.ed.gov/?q=sibling+relationship&id=EJ1112098. Accessed 25 Nov. 2016.