Bamboo Sibs: Experiences of Taiwanese Non-disabled Siblings of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities across Caregiver Lifestages

Abstract

Non-disabled siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) usually experience trajectories to gradually intensify their involvement in caregiving. However, non-disabled siblings in Asian countries have been woefully overlooked in research despite the fact that Asian countries hold over half of the world’s population and have a set of family values different from Western countries. This exploratory study examined experiences and perspectives of Taiwanese non-disabled siblings of individuals with IDD across lifestages. The researcher used a phenomenological approach to examine in-depth interviews with 30 Taiwanese non-disabled siblings of adults with IDD. Common themes emerged under three lifestages (i.e., minimal caregiver role, anticipating caregiver role, and joint/primary caregiver role), indicating that filial piety remained the core value for Taiwanese families. Taiwanese non-disabled siblings described a love-hate relationship with the adults with IDD. They reported feeling anxious about the lack of discussion with their parents. Finally, they talked about taking care of the adults with IDD as fulfilling filial obligations to their parents. In addition to the sibling subsystem, future researchers and practitioners should take the parental subsystem into account to understand and support non-disabled siblings.