Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T17:45:43.114Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Siblings in Old Age: Something Special

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Deborah T. Gold
Deborah T. Gold
Affiliation:
Duke University Medical Centre
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative examination of sibling relationships in old age. Interviews with sixty people over the age of sixty-five revealed that interactions with sisters and brothers took on new meaning in late life. A shared history of lifetime experiences made the sibling relationship unique in social networks in old age. Those who had positive relationships with siblings found that interactions decreased feelings of loneliness, provided emotional support and validation of earlier life experiences, and built feelings of closeness and sibling solidarity. Even those who had negative sibling relationships indicated a shift in feelings. The intensity of feeling about siblings in old age suggests that further study of the later-life sibling bond might increase understanding of ways in which the social and emotional needs of older people can be met. Interviews provided an effective method for gathering rich data about these complex social and emotional interactions.

Résumé

Cet article présente les conclusions d'un examen qualitatif sur la fratrie chez les personnes du troisième âge. Les données, provenant de 60 entrevues menées auprès de personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus, suggèrent que les rapports entre frères et soeurs prennent une allure de renouveau au déclin de la vie. Les expériences partagées durant l'espace de toute une vie mènent à une alliance particulièrement unique sur le plan des réseaux sociaux. Ceux qui ont toujours joui d'une relation harmonieuse sont d'avis que cette liaison soulage la solitude, procure un soutien moral et une confirmation des événements vécus tout en intensifiant l'attachement. Par ailleurs, ceux qui n'ont pas évolué harmonieusement signalent néanmoins un certain changement, voire une recrudescence, au niveau affectif. Une telle intensité d'émotions entre frères et soeurs d'âges avancés suggèrent que des enquêtes plus poussées pourraient nous aider à comprendre davantage les façons de combler les besoins sociaux et émotionnels des personnes du troisième âge. Les entrevues ont permis aux chercheurs de recueillir des données enrichissantes sur ces rapports complexes à l'échelle sociale et affective.

Keywords

Siblings in Old Age
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , Fall/Automne 1987 , pp. 199 - 216
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allan, G. (1977). Sibling solidarity. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 39, (1), 177–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bengtson, V.L., Cutler, N.E., Mangcn, D.J., & Marshall, V.W. (1985). Generations, cohorts, and relations between age groups. In Binstock, R.H. & Shanas, E. (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (2nd ed., pp. 304–338). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.Google Scholar
Circirclli, V.G. (1982a, August). An attachment model of sibling helping behavior in old age. Paper presented at the 90th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Cirirelli, V.G. (1982b) Sibling influence throughout the life span. In Lamb, M.E. & Sutton-Smith, B. (Eds.), Sibling relationships: Their nature and significance across the lifespan (pp. 267–284). Hillsdalc, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Cumming, E., & Schneider, D.M. (1961). Sibling solidarity: A property of American kinship. American Anthropologist, 63, 498–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.Google Scholar
Gold, D.T. (1986a, November). Sibling relationships in old age: A typology. Paper presented at the 39th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
Gold, D.T. (1986b). Sibling Relationships In Retrospect: A Study of Reminiscence in Old Age. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.Google Scholar
Harris, L. & Associates. (1981). Aging in the eighties: America in transition. Washington D.C: National Council on Aging.Google Scholar
Havs, J.A. (1984). Aging and family resources: Availability and proximity of kin. The Gerontologist, 24(2), 149–153.Google Scholar
Hochschild, A.R. (1973). The unexpected community. Berkeley, CA.: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Irish, D.P. (1964). Sibling interaction: A neglected aspect in family research. Social Forces, 42(3), 279–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahn, R. L., & Antonucci, T.C. (1982). Convoys over the life course. In Baltes, P.B. & Brim, O.G. Jr, (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (Vol. 3, pp. 253–286). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kivett, V.R. (1979). Discriminators of loneliness among the rural elderly: Implications for intervention. The Gerontologist, 19, 108–115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lavcrtv, R. (1962). Reactivation of sibling rivalry in older people. Social Work, 7(1), 23–30.Google Scholar
Leigh, G.K. (1982). Kinship interaction over the family lifespan. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 44(1), 197–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopata, H.Z. (1973). Widowhood in an American City. Cambridge, MA.: Schenkman.Google Scholar
Marshall, V.W. (1980). Last Chapters: A Sociology of Aging and Dying. Monterey, CA.: Brooks/Cole.Google Scholar
Mullins, L.C., & Johnson, D.P. (1986, November). Loneliness of the elderly: The impact of family and friends among residents of a high-rise apartment complex. Paper presented at the 39th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
Neugarten, B.N.(1968). The awareness of middle age. In Neugarten, B.L. (Ed.), Middle age and aging (pp. 93–98). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Reiss, P.J. (1962). The extended kinship system: Correlates of and attitudes on frequency of interaction. Marriage and Family Living, 24(4), 333–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, G., & Anspach, D. (1973). Sibling solidarity in the working class. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 35, 108–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, H.G., & Milgram, J.I. (1982). Important variables in adult sibling relationships: A qualitative study. In Lamb, M.E. & Sutton-Smith, B. (Eds.), Sibling relationships: Their nature and significance across the lifespan (pp. 225–251). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Stoller, E.P., & Earl, L.L. (1983). Help with activities of everyday life: Sources of support for the noninstitutionalized elderly. The Gerontologist, 23(1), 64–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Streib, G.F., & Beck, R.W. (1980). Older families: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42(4), 937–958.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Troll, L.E. (1971). The family of later life: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 33, 263–290.Google Scholar
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1982, June). Marital status and living arrangements: March 1981. Current Population Reports, Series P-20, No. 372. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1982, March). Employment and Earnings, 29(3). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office.Google Scholar