title: Family-focused prevention with Latinos: What about sisters and brothers?
abstract: Using a randomized, intent-to-treat design, this pilot study examined the feasibility and short-term effects ofSiblings Are Special(SIBS) with a sample of 54 low-income Latino families (91% Mexican-origin). Participants were older (M = 10.8 years; SD = .46) and younger siblings (M = 8.4 years; SD = 1.13), and their parents (94% biological mothers), who were randomly assigned within school to the intervention (n = 28) or no-attention control (n = 26) condition. The intervention condition included 12 weekly afterschool sessions (90 min each) for sibling pairs and 3 family nights for parents and siblings (2 hr each).SIBSwas designed to enhance sibling relationships via 2 primary intervention targets: (a) children’s capacities that underlie positive sibling dynamics, including relationship skills, cognitions, and shared activities; and (b) parenting of siblings, specifically, enhancing positive guidance and involvement and discouraging authoritarian control. Pre- and posttest data were gathered from siblings and parents. Recruitment and implementation data revealed high rates of attendance and completion, and high ratings of parent satisfaction with the program. Further, analyses suggested the program had positive effects of small to modest magnitude on posttest measures of sibling and parent–child relationship quality, parenting of siblings, older siblings’ emotional efficacy, and parents’ depressive symptoms and parenting stress, controlling for pretest levels of all outcomes and family background characteristics. Discussion addresses the feasibility of sibling-focused programs with low-income Latino families and makes recommendations for future research.
authors.affiliation: T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Updegraff
authors.affiliation: T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Adriana J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Umaña-Taylor
authors.affiliation: T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Sue A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez De Jesús
authors.affiliation: College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McHale
authors.affiliation: College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University.
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Feinberg
authors.affiliation: T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Sally I-Chun
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000208:ethnology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012801:Sibling Relations / Q000208:ethnology*