Support and strain in pregnant and parenting adolescents' sibling relationships

Social support and social strain in adolescent mothers' sibling relationships were investigated. Participants were 536 (93% African American), primarily low-income, adolescents attending an alternative school for pregnant and parenting teens. More than half of the participants nominated at least one sibling as a source of support. Older sisters were nominated twice as often as any other sibling group. In addition, older sisters provided both the greatest variety and amount of support in comparison to the other sibling groups. Support from older sisters was not associated with adolescent mothers' psychological adjustment. However strain in relationships with older brothers and older sisters was associated with increased psychological distress.