Sibling constellations and wellbeing in intact and non-intact families

Background: There is little research on the impact of sibling relations on the development of resilience in families experiencing break up. Methods: The role of sex of siblings in family structures was explored in relation to mental health in young adults in a sample of 927 participants (460 males and 467 females), aged 18-21 years old. In addition the potential mediating relationship of family relations, self-efficacy, optimism and social support were added to the mix in order to provide some ex-planatory mechanism for any relationship that might exist. Results: Multivariate analysis of variance and path analysis were used and findings suggest that the presence of a female sib-ling may be a protective factor and may operate through improving family relationships and increasing self-efficacy, optimism, and perceived social support. Conclusions: It is suggested that the sex structure of siblings should be considered in any family focused intervention to improve mental health.