Associations between Personality Traits and the Quality of Sibling Relationships

Abstract

Sibling relationship is one of the longest relationships in human life and play a major role since some skills such as nurturance, caretaking, and meeting their own needs and those of other people around them (e.g. spouse, children, and parents) are fostered through sibling interaction. Several studies have been conducted among adults to identify the factors associated with sibling relationships. Despite its seeming importance, only a few researchers have focused on the role of personality type in sibling relationships. The current study examined whether Big-Five personality traits were associated with the quality of sibling relationships among young adults. Participants included 552 university students living in the United States of America (54% female and 46% male) aged 18 to 25 years. Participants completed the Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale and the Big Five Inventory. A series regression analyses revealed that all personality traits were significantly associated with the quality of sibling relationships after controlling participant’s gender and gender constellation. Of the personality traits, agreeableness was the strongest predictor of quality of sibling relationships. The current study’s strengths and limitations and the implications future research are discussed.