The Impact of Maternal Parenting Style on Sibling Relationships: A Transnational Study on Two-Child Families of China and the United Kingdom

Abstract

This study, through a survey of two-child families in China and the UK, aimed to explore the differences, similarities, and associations between sibling relationships and maternal parenting styles from a transnational point of view. A total number of 107 mothers (UK: N = 55; China: N = 52) with two children were administered through a battery of online questionnaires respectively. Results showed no significant differences in the quality of sibling relationships between the two countries. Conflict and competitive behaviours among siblings greatly outnumbered warmth-related ones for both countries. In terms of maternal parenting style, permissive and authoritarian parenting styles were more dominant in both China and the UK compared with the authoritative style. However, British mothers tend to be more authoritarian than their Chinese counterparts towards both older and younger children. Although significant transnational correlations were found on the associations between maternal parenting style and the quality of sibling relationships, the authoritative parenting style was found to be more conducive to reduce the conflict behaviours between siblings in the UK, while the authoritarian parenting style turned out to be more effective among Chinese mothers. The above findings deepen our understanding of the association of parenting styles with sibling relationships. Implications on parenting practice to improve the quality of sibling relationships are also offered.