The Effect of Mother’s Mediation on Sibling Conflict Among Chinese Children

Thirty-four Chinese families (each consisting of a mother and two children) were recruited to participate in this study. The firstborn children had an average age of 12.00 ± 2.07 years, while the second-born children averaged 7.57 ± 2.51 years old. The families were randomly divided into mediation and control groups. The mothers in the mediation group underwent mediation training, whereas those in the control group received no treatment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square tests were utilized to analyze data on sibling conflict. Results indicated that the mothers in the mediation group reported significantly less negative behavior in helping their children resolve sibling disputes compared to those in the control group. Mediation group mothers reported significantly fewer sibling conflicts compared to control group mothers. No significant differences were observed between children in the mediation group and the control group regarding positive and negative behaviors recorded by mothers. These results indicate that mediation training may better equip Chinese mothers with the ability to resolve sibling conflicts in their families.