Adolescent sibling caregiving and responsibility: Retrospective reports among Mexican‐origin young adults

• Published date: 01 July 2022
• Author: Gabrielle C. Kline,Sarah E. Killoren
• Date: 01 July 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12646

RESEARCH

Adolescent sibling caregiving and responsibility:

Retrospective reports among Mexican-origin

young adults

Gabrielle C. Kline

1

|Sarah E. Killoren

2

1

Department of Counseling and Learning

Sciences, West Virginia University, 506 Allen

Hall, 355 Oakland Street, Morgantown, West

Virginia, United States

2

Human Development and Family Science,

University of Missouri 102 Gwynn Hall,

University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri,

United States

Correspondence

Gabrielle C. Kline, Department of Counseling

and Learning Sciences, West Virginia

University, 506 Allen Hall, 355 Oakland

Street, Morgantown WV 26501, USA.

Email: gabrielle.kline@mail.wvu.edu

Abstract

Objective: This research examines links between Mexican-

origin young adults’cultural values and sibling caregiving

behaviors during adolescence and responsibility in young

adulthood.

Background: Responsibility is an important marker of young

adulthood, and this skill may be transmitted to youth

through familism values. Familism values may guide how

youth engage in behaviors (e.g., sibling caregiving), which

may help foster responsibility skills during young adulthood.

Results: Using cultural ecological framework and cultural

transmission model, we examined associations among

familism values, sibling caregiving, and responsibility

among 219 Mexican-origin young adults. We tested a

multigroup model with path analysis based on gender and

found no gender differences. Family obligation and family

referent were positively associated with sibling caregiving.

Family support and family referent were positively associ-

ated with responsibility. Sibling caregiving was positively

associated with responsibility. We found two significant

indirect effects. Familism obligation and family referent

values were positively associated with sibling caregiving,

which in turn was positively associated with responsibility.

Conclusion: Findings highlight how cultural values and

sibling caregiving can be linked to responsibility during

young adulthood.

Implications: Sibling caregiving during youth may provide

opportunities to build valuable skills in young adulthood.

Cultural values may inform family behaviors and in turn

young adulthood responsibility.

KEYWORDS

adulthood development, caregiving, cultural issues, sibling relationships

Received: 16 November 2020Revised: 26 March 2021Accepted: 17 July 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12646

© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.

Family Relations. 2022;71:953–967. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 953