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Virginia Tech

Exploring Sibling Relationships in Latino/a/x Immigrant Families

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Siblings are the longest lasting relationships most individuals may experience in their life. What makes sibling relationships unique is the overlap of both shared and unshared experiences. While there is limited research on the mechanisms behind sibling relationships in general, research on Latino/a/x sibling relationships is even more limited. The limited research on Latino/a/x siblings from immigrant families has found they have an impact on each other's cultural adaptations. The current study explored the influence of the acculturation cultural adaptation processes to the U.S. and how this adaptation may impact Latino/a/x sibling relationships. Semi-structured dyadic interviews were conducted with eight sibling dyads (N = 8) and dyadic analysis methods from Tkachuk et al. (2019) were used to analyze the qualitative data. The findings suggest that the sibling relationship is influenced by parental and cultural expectations, unique experiences pertaining to growing up (e.g., sibling positionality), and their shared experiences of growing up in the United States (i.e., shared cultural navigation). Findings regarding the importance of family are congruent with current literature on Latino/a/x immigrant families and a new finding that emerged related to the validation of younger siblings on the experiences of the older siblings. Clinical implications suggest clinicians familiarizing themselves with cross-cultural sibling relationships and the benefits of having siblings in therapy. Limitations and recommendations for future study are discussed.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Human Development
Department dc:contributor.department
Adult Learning and Human Resource Development
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2021

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Almeyda, Patricia Christina
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Muruthi, Bertranna Alero
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Shivers, Carolyn
  • Landers, Ashley Lace

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:28967
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/101940

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Almeyda, Patricia Christina. Exploring Sibling Relationships in Latino/a/x Immigrant Families. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101940