Blackwell Reference Online

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A growing interest in old siblings reflects the potential increase in their importance at a time when union dissolution is high and birth rates low. For many subjects, a definition merely begins the story. In the case of older siblings, defining the term and exploring different types of sibship remain compelling research challenges. Traditional definitions refer to the category of full siblings, related to one another through two biological parents. This restrictive definition excludes those who are half-siblings (related through one shared biological parent), adopted siblings (related through legal adoption), and step-siblings (related to one another through subsequent marriages of one or both biological or adoptive parents). In earlier times, acquiring step-siblings typically occurred after the death of one parent and subsequent remarriage of the other. Now, step-siblings are more likely to result from the remarriage of one or both parents following divorce. For most old persons today, these categories cover the vast majority of siblings; the future will bring an even broader array of adult sibling types in the wake of more marriage-like unions that also produce children. Relatively little research concerns old siblings in their own right, but in recent decades research on siblings has finally extended beyond childhood. The bulk of studies tend to be psychological or developmental ... log in or subscribe to read full text