Parent coping, emotion socialization beliefs, and sibling relationship quality in pediatric cancer

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined relations between parent coping and parent-, patient-, and sibling- reported sibling relationship quality (SRQ) during pediatric cancer. A sample of 156 parents, 103 patients, and 104 siblings completed questionnaires. Results demonstrated parents’ adaptive coping was positively associated with parent-reported sibling warmth and negatively associated with sibling dominance. Parents’ dismissive ES beliefs were inversely related to sibling warmth and positively related to conflict. Analyses indicated when parents’ emotion coaching beliefs were high, parents’ adaptive coping was positively related to parent-reported sibling warmth. Findings begin to elucidate family processes that may affect SRQ in families of pediatric oncology patients.