<p>Siblings uniquely promote the development of sympathy and a quality relationship with a brother or sister increases levels of altruism in teens, a new study has found.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers said the findings are surprising because boys typically report that they benefit less than girls from peer relationships.<br /><br />"In our study, most relationships were not as important for boys as they were for girls," said study co-author Laura Padilla-Walker from Brigham Young University.<br /><br />"But the sibling relationship was different - they seemed to report relying on sibling affection just as much as girls do. It's an area where parents and therapists could really help boys," she said.<br /><br />Padilla-Walker and fellow Brigham Young University professor Jim Harper found that siblings uniquely promote the development of sympathy. A quality relationship with a brother or sister also increased teens' levels of altruism, also known as prosocial behaviour.<br /><br />"Having a sibling you can count on seems to make a difference especially for prosocial behaviour. Best friends make a contribution, but siblings still matter," said Harper.<br /><br />The BYU researchers followed 308 pairs of teenage siblings for three years. The project measured their development and tracked the quality of their relationships with friends and family members.<br /><br />"This was the first siblings study to control for all these other important relationships. We can say that siblings are uniquely important, which is encouraging," Padilla-Walker said.<br /><br />Boys who have a hostile relationship with a sibling were significantly more likely to have behavioural problems later on, the study found. The study appears in the Journal of Research on Adolescence.</p>
<p>Siblings uniquely promote the development of sympathy and a quality relationship with a brother or sister increases levels of altruism in teens, a new study has found.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers said the findings are surprising because boys typically report that they benefit less than girls from peer relationships.<br /><br />"In our study, most relationships were not as important for boys as they were for girls," said study co-author Laura Padilla-Walker from Brigham Young University.<br /><br />"But the sibling relationship was different - they seemed to report relying on sibling affection just as much as girls do. It's an area where parents and therapists could really help boys," she said.<br /><br />Padilla-Walker and fellow Brigham Young University professor Jim Harper found that siblings uniquely promote the development of sympathy. A quality relationship with a brother or sister also increased teens' levels of altruism, also known as prosocial behaviour.<br /><br />"Having a sibling you can count on seems to make a difference especially for prosocial behaviour. Best friends make a contribution, but siblings still matter," said Harper.<br /><br />The BYU researchers followed 308 pairs of teenage siblings for three years. The project measured their development and tracked the quality of their relationships with friends and family members.<br /><br />"This was the first siblings study to control for all these other important relationships. We can say that siblings are uniquely important, which is encouraging," Padilla-Walker said.<br /><br />Boys who have a hostile relationship with a sibling were significantly more likely to have behavioural problems later on, the study found. The study appears in the Journal of Research on Adolescence.</p>