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Article Excerpt
Recent research suggests that siblings may be an important factor in understanding participation in delinquent activities (e.g., K. J. Conger, 1999; Fagan & Najman, 2003; Farrington, 1995; Slomkowski, Rende, Conger, Simons, & Conger, 2001; Snyder, Bank, & Burraston, 2005). Indeed, a number of studies have reported that siblings are concordant for delinquent activities. However, concordance for delinquency has typically been examined in male sibling pairs, and few studies have considered sibling influences in mixed-gender or female sibling dyads (Lauritsen, 1993; Rowe, Rodgers, & Meseck-Bushey, 1992). The association between older and younger siblings' delinquency may be related to several different factors. First, older siblings who engage in delinquent behaviors may serve as an attractive model during early adolescence (10-14 years of age), a time when adolescent youths begin to experiment with delinquent behaviors (Farrington, 2003; Rowe & Farrington, 1997). Second, some younger siblings may view participation in delinquent activities as a route to peer recognition and popularity, particularly if their older sibling is perceived as popular. Social learning theory (Bandura, 1969, 1973) and specifically Patterson (1984) suggest that younger siblings will be likely to imitate behaviors of older siblings if they see these behaviors as successful in attaining a goal, such as popularity among peers. The present study examines the possible effects of older sibling delinquency and perceptions of older sibling popularity in predicting younger sibling delinquency in same-gender and mixed-gender adolescent sibling dyads.
Delinquency
Previous research has highlighted the importance of studying delinquency during adolescence. During adolescence, delinquency increases in frequency, with a peak around age 17 (Farrington, 2003). Given that early adolescence is a time when youths begin to experiment with delinquent behaviors, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to the observed increase (Farrington, 2003; Rowe & Farrington, 1997). Research on adolescent siblings has found concordance for many delinquent behaviors (Conger et al., 2009; Lewin, Hops, Davis, & Dishion, 1993; Reiss & Farrington, 1991). However, the magnitude of concordance has varied across studies (e.g., Lauritsen, 1993; Rowe et al., 1992).
The few studies that have examined gender composition show that it is one important factor in explaining the observed concordance for delinquency. Brother pairs appear to have the highest concordance for delinquency, followed by sister pairs (Fagan & Najman, 2003; Slomkowski et al., 2001). Similarly, Rowe and Farrington (1997) found that same-gender pairs were more alike in their convictions for delinquency than mixed-gender pairs. The results for mixed-gender pairs vary, with some studies showing little or no concordance (Rowe et al., 1992) and others showing moderate concordance (Conger et al., 2009; Fagan & Najman, 2003; Snyder et al., 2005). The majority of delinquency studies do not include mixed-gender dyads, and even fewer studies distinguish boys with older sisters from girls with older brothers (e.g., Fagan & Najman, 2003).
Although current research suggests that delinquency concordance varies by sibling dyad composition, the underlying mechanisms or social processes that might explain these differences are not clearly understood. Research has started to examine potential moderators of the correlation between older and younger sibling delinquency such as relationship quality (Slomkowski et al., 2001) and family processes such as coercive exchanges (Bank, Patterson, & Reid, 1996). In these studies, delinquency concordance was stronger when siblings enjoyed spending time together or when one sibling coerced the other to participate in deviant activities (Bank et al., 1996; Slomkowski et al., 2001). One possible moderator that has not been explored is the social status of the older sibling and how that might influence the younger sibling's view of the older sibling as a role model. It is hypothesized that an older sibling with higher social status would serve as a more attractive role model and that imitation thus would be more likely to occur, in line with social learning theory (Bandura, 1969, 1973).
Perceptions of Popularity
Adolescence is also a critical time to study the potential influences of popularity as youths become more socially oriented and place greater emphasis on peer status (Eder, 1985; LaFontana & Cillessen, in press; Giordano, 1995). Initial studies of popularity focused on sociometrically popular youths, those who were nominated as well liked by a large percentage of their peer group and not nominated as disliked (e.g., Coie, Dodge, & Coppotelli, 1982). These students tend to be rated as kind, trustworthy, prosocial, and inclusive and also display lower levels of externalizing behavior and aggression (Parkhurst & Hopmeyer, 1998; Sandstrom & Cillessen, 2006).
However, recent studies have begun to differentiate between sociometrically popular (well-liked) and perceived popular youths (e.g., Parkhurst & Hopmeyer, 1998; Sandstrom & Cillessen, 2006). Perceived popularity differs from sociometric popularity, as it is assessed through direct identification of those who are "popular," or "cool," and have high status among the larger peer group. Little overlap has been found between youths who are characterized as popular according to these two separate methods (Parkhurst & Hopmeyer, 1998). Perceived popularity is often conceptualized as involving social prestige, influence, centrality, and social visibility (Eder, 1985; Parkhurst & Hopmeyer; 1998; Sandstrom & Cillessen, 2006). Unlike sociometrically popular youths, perceived popular adolescents also display an array of negative behaviors such as externalizing behaviors (Sandstrom & Cillessen, 2006) and physical and relational aggression (Cillessen & Mayeux, 2004; LaFontana & Cillessen, 2002; Rose, Swenson, & Waller, 2004), although these tend to be less extreme antisocial behaviors (e.g., teasing and social exclusion). While adolescents appear to acknowledge and understand the balance between such...
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