Washington, January 16 (ANI): Having siblings has a considerable amount of influence on children in their social and emotional development as adults, say experts.

Laurie Kramer, a professor of applied family studies in the department of human and community development at the University of Illinois, pointed out that while parents were better at teaching social skills of more formal settings, such as how to conduct one self publicly, contributions made by brothers or sisters or both while growing up should not be undermined.

Kramer, along with co-editor Katherine J. Conger, University of California at Davis, said siblings could be better role models concerning informal behaviour such as how to act at school or on the street, or how to act cool around friends that form a significant part of a child’s everyday life.

Kramer said: “Siblings are closer to the social environments that children find themselves in during the majority of their day, which is why it’s important not to overlook the contributions that they make on who we end up being.”

The expert also added: “We know that having a positive relationship with siblings is related to a whole host of better outcomes for teenagers and adults.

“A lot of current research looks at how children learn undesirable behaviors like smoking, drinking and other delinquent acts, from exposure to an older sibling’s antisocial behaviors as well as that of their sibling’s friends. For example, a female teen is at higher risk for getting pregnant if her older sister was a teenage mother. Developing a better understanding of sibling influences can help us design effective strategies for protecting younger children in families.”

Kramer continued: “It’s not all that important whether you’re spaced closer together or farther apart, or if you have a brother or a sister. What’s really much more important are the social behaviors that children learn in their early years that they can use to develop a positive relationship with a sibling. That’s why it’s important for parents to encourage siblings to be engaged with one another and develop a relationship where there is mutual respect, cooperation and the ability to manage problems.”

The study was published in the journal New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. (ANI)