Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Abstract: Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental illnesses, sometimes giving rise to fatal physical illnesses like cancer and organ failure. Early prevention programs for adolescents can be highly effective. Contemporary research typically focuses on the impact of parental-child relationships on eating disorder development. This analysis presents an exploration of the relationship between sibling rivalry and signs of disordered eating in adolescents (ages 7-12), and whether this relationship changes when considering biological sex. The sample consisted of 737 respondents from the AddHealth (US national longitudinal study) who answered a question about sibling rivalry and were divided into a sibling rivalry and no sibling rivalry group. Within each of these groups, the presence of signs of disordered eating like forced vomiting, laxative abuse, and excessive exercise was examined. The analysis revealed that the difference in presence of signs of disordered eating in the sibling rivalry and no sibling rivalry groups was not statistically significant even when considering sex. Sibling rivalry may not be a critical factor in the early development of eating disorders. Perhaps when considering eating disorder prevention techniques like family therapy and early intervention in schools, sibling rivalry should not be a focus. Further research should be conducted into other dimensions of sibling relationships that may impact eating disorder development for more effective mitigation programs.
Key Words: Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, Sibling Rivalry, Adolescents
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