Parental Differential Treatment of Siblings and Fairness Perception: Moderating Role of Personality
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Parental Differential Treatment of Siblings and Fairness Perception: Moderating Role of Personality Hamide Gozu
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Joan Newman2
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© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Family harmony is likely to be challenged if children perceive that their parents do not treat them and their siblings fairly. The direction of parental favor is related to an individual’s perception of fairness but does not fully explain it. The current study investigated whether personality traits moderated the relationship between parental differential treatment and fairness perception. A total of 762 undergraduates (aged between 18 and 25) completed the Big Five Inventory and nominated a ‘target sibling’ whom they considered as they completed the Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience and rated the fairness of parenting. Regression analyses showed that slightly more affection towards the participant and slightly more control over the target sibling were evaluated as most fair, whereas extremely unequal parental treatment (regardless of who was favored) was evaluated as very unfair. Of the Big Five personality traits, agreeableness, extraversion, and openness moderated the fairness perception of parental differential affection but not parental differential control. Favored individuals who were highly agreeable and open to novelty were less likely to rate affection preference as fair than favored individuals who were of low agreeableness and low openness. Also, individuals high on extraversion rated both extreme parental favor and disfavor as less fair than individuals who were low on extraversion. The current study highlights the importance of personality in the fairness perception of parental differential treatment. Implications for parents and family practitioners are provided. Keywords Personality Siblings Parental differential treatment Fairness ●
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Highlights The relationship between parental differential treatment and the perception of fairness is very complex. ● Three personality traits (agreeableness, extroversion, and openness) moderated the perceived fairness of parental differential affection but not differential control. ● Perceptions of parental treatment are important for emerging adults. ● Parents should be encouraged to consider child personality traits when setting and explaining parenting choices. ●
An important factor contributing to the quality of family life is the harmony between siblings (Kowal et al. 2004; Shanahan et al. 2008). The extent to which parents treat children fairly is likely to affect such harmony because
* Hamide Gozu [email protected] 1
Division of Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 17100 Canakkale, Turkey
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Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA
differential treatment may evoke feelings of anger and rivalry between siblings; individuals who perceive that they are unfairly treated or disfavored by th
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