Parent-child and sibling relationship effects on adolescent mental health: Looking at family structure through Add Health

The present study looks at the effect of sibling relationship quality, parent-adolescent relationship quality, and perceived parental differential treatment on adolescent mental health over time. Previous literature on adolescent mental health has investigated each of these factors independently, but neglected to explore the link between all three and take into account adolescents living in different family environments (single parent households, intact families, and step-families). The current study assesses 2,379 adolescents in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) in Waves 1 and 3 to consider parent-child and sibling relationship quality. This study evaluates whether perceived parental differential treatment alters sibling relationship and parent-child relationship quality effects on adolescent mental health, and whether patterns differ for adolescents in diverse family environments. Preliminary findings of ordinary least squares regression models show that among adolescents living with only their mother, those who do not believe their mother to be warm and loving are associated with more negative mental health. The same is true for adolescents who believe their mothers do not care for them. However, these findings were not consistent for adolescents living with only their father. Sibling fixed effects models will be used according to individual and paired sibling reports to determine the effect of sibling relationships on adolescent mental health over time.