ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a preliminary examination of the relationship between siblings in the Sibling Study and describes the sample design. It explores the resemblance in siblings' self-reported rates of delinquency and drug use using bivariate and multivariate analyses and reviews the literature. The similarity between sibling pairs for adolescent drug use and delinquency has been found to vary by age difference, with more resemblance when the age spacing is close, rather than distant. The negative sibling relationship found for the Offender group is in some contrast to prior research, which generally indicates either positive or non-significant relationships in sibling delinquency. The chapter explores whether or not family characteristics account for the significant correlations between the older and younger sibling's self-reported delinquent behaviour and substance use. Although criminologists have long been concerned with identifying familial influences on crime, they tend to focus upon the role of parents and general family characteristics, rather than upon sibling influences.
