Describe the ways that sibling relationships typically change in midlife

What will be an ideal response?

Sibling contact and support decline from early to middle adulthood, rebounding only after age 70 for siblings living near each other. Decreased midlife contact is probably due to the demands of middle-aged adults' diverse roles. However, most adult siblings report getting together or talking on the phone at least monthly. Despite reduced contact, many siblings feel closer in midlife, often in response to major life events. Launching and marriage of children seem to prompt siblings to think more about each other. When a parent becomes seriously ill, brothers and sisters who previously had little to do with one another may find themselves in touch about parental care. And when parents die, adult children realize they have become the oldest generation and must look to each other to sustain family ties. Not all sibling bonds improve, of course. Large inequities in division of labor in parental caregiving can unleash intense sibling conflict. As siblings grow older, good relationships often get better and poor relationships get worse. In industrialized nations, sibling relationships are voluntary. In village societies, they are generally involuntary and basic to family functioning. For example, among Asian Pacific Islanders, family social life is organized around strong brother–sister attachments. A brother–sister pair is often treated as a unit in exchange marriages with another family. After marriage, brothers are expected to protect sisters, and sisters serve as spiritual mentors to brothers. Cultural norms reduce sibling conflict, thereby ensuring family cooperation.