Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-9-2026

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This article is the author's final published version in Current Psychology, Volume 45, Issue 1,  2026, Article number 1595.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-026-10153-1. Copyright © The Author(s) 2026.

Abstract

Siblings typically share parents, households, and broader family environments, yet they often develop distinct interests, abilities, and roles. Drawing on sibling differentiation perspectives, this study examined whether personality traits moderate associations between maternal and paternal differential support and sibling differentiation tendencies during emerging adulthood. Participants were 517 emerging adults from across the United States (ages 18–29; M = 22.60, SD = 3.81; 76% female). Participants completed the differentiation subscale of the Sibling Influence Scale and Goldberg’s Adjective Scale to assess personality traits. Using moderated regression analyses, we examined linear and nonlinear associations between parental differential support and sibling differentiation tendencies. Results showed that paternal differential support was not directly associated with sibling differentiation; rather, its association varied by personality. Conscientiousness moderated the linear relation between paternal support and differentiation, whereas extraversion and agreeableness moderated curvilinear patterns. In contrast, maternal support showed a curvilinear association with sibling differentiation tendencies, such that differentiation was lowest when support was perceived as relatively equal between siblings and increased as support became more unequal. This pattern was further moderated by conscientiousness, with individuals higher in conscientiousness showing greater sensitivity to changes in maternal differential support. Taken together, these findings suggest that maternal and paternal differential support play distinct roles in sibling differentiation tendencies and that personality traits, namely particularly conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, shape how parental support is interpreted and reflected in efforts to establish a distinct identity during emerging adulthood.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Language

English

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