Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) sibling status effects on the perception of mother's parenting attitudes, (2) sibling status effects on differentiation of self, and (2) the mediating effect of perceived parenting attitudes of mother on the relationship between birth order and differentiation of self of female college students. The subjects were 543 female college students in Seoul, and major results of this study were as follow. First, there was significant birth order difference in perceived mother's love, perceived mother's control, and differentiation of self. Firstborns perceived their mother more loving, and less controlling than second-born students, and firstborns showed higher degree of differentiaion of self. Second, as a result of 3-way ANOVA, Second-born students perceived their mother more loving than first-born students when the age spacing was more than five years. Also, Second-borns generally reported higher control of their mother, and when the age spacing was between 1 and 5 years, second-borns having older sister perceived their mother more controlling than second-borns having older brother. When the age spacing was less than 1 year or between 1 and 5 years, firstborns showed higher degree of differentiation of self than second-borns. Third, perceived mother's control completely mediated the relationship between birth order and differentiation of self. Being second-born and reporting mother's higher control predicted lower differentiation of self, and birth order had an indirect effect on differentiation of self through the perception of mother's control.