ABSTRACT
Parental divorce can lead to two patterns of organization in the sibling subsystem: it may remain intact (all siblings live together under the same roof) or it may be split (siblings don’t all live together). Moreover, physical custody can take different forms: to the mother, to the father, or to both parents. This paper has three objectives. First, we will explore the two patterns of organization in the sibling subsystem (intact/split) in relation to the custody form (mother/father/both) and to certain characteristics of the child and of his sibling relationship(s). Second, for each custody form, we will verify if these characteristics vary with the patterns of organization in the sibling subsystem. Third, we will examine how the previously-analyzed characteristics may vary within a model where the status of the sibling group (intact/split) and the custody form (mother/father/both) are considered simultaneously. For each sibling group (N=144), a parent answered questions concerning each of his or her children, particularly, the arrangements that were made for each of them, the quality of the sibling relationship(s) for each child and the modifications in their relationships consequent to the transition. Results show differences when siblings live apart. The discussion will highlight what impact modifications in the sibling subsystem consequent to parental divorce may have on child development.
