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71 Soc. F. 85 (1992-1993)
Ties among Adult Siblings

handle is hein.journals/josf71 and id is 101 raw text is: Ties among Adult Siblings* LYNN K. WHITE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln AGNES RIEDMANN, Creighton University Abstract We use a National Survey of Families and Households sample of 7,730 adults with siblings to test a model of perceived and actual social support among adult siblings. Despite low levels of actual exchange, nearly 30% of the sample would call on a sibling first in an emergency. Social support among siblings was higher for those with living sisters and for those without adult children, but African Americans and respondents with lower education and family income levels were less likely to be involved in actual exchange with siblings. Although weak support from siblings may simply represent a contraction of the support network to the inner circle of parents and children, these findings suggest caution in assuming that disadvantaged groups can rely on stronger extended family networks. A small but growing body of research suggests that sibling relations are important to American adults (Bedford 1989). The majority of adults report frequent contact with their siblings as long as distance is not a barrier, and surveys show that affection remains high (Cicirelli 1985; Hugick 1989; Wellman 1979). Scholars have argued that siblings are ideally situated to provide social support: relationships are lifelong, rooted in equality, and normatively supported (Avioli 1989). We do not know, however, whether adult siblings do provide support. Theoretical and empirical attention to social integration and family networks has focused on neighbors, friends, children, and parents, according siblings only peripheral status. In addition, virtually all existing research on adult siblings is based on small, nonrepresentative samples or on studies of the elderly. There are no previous studies of sibling relationships that use a national sample adequate to address sibling ties across the entire adult lifespan or among racial and ethnic groups. In this research, we use a sample of 7,730 adults from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households to examine perceived and actual support among adult siblings. * We wish to acknowledge our colleagues Paul Amato and Suzanne Ortega, whose thoughtful comments provided the impetusfor significant improvements in this article. Direct correspondence to Lynn K White, Department of Sociology, 711 Oldfather, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0324. Social Forces, September1992 7(1i):85-102 0 The University of North Carolina Press

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