Abstract
The study investigated the correlation between the perception of sibling relationship to cope an adverse occurrence – the partial collapse of a primary school – and the indicators related to the traumatic impact set off by the event, by soliciting the child’s reminiscence of the catastrophic experience.One hundred trauma-exposed children were recruited from a Sicilian primary school and were administered the following research instruments: the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A), to investigate the traumatized response that can be triggered in the children involved; the Brother as a Resource Questionnaire (BRQ), to delve into the perception of sibling relationship as a resource.The outcomes showed statistically significant negative correlations between the Anxiety scale of the TSCC-A and the Scaffolding factors (r = −.260, p < .05) and Decision making process (r = −.315, p < 05) of the BRQ; between the Depression scale and the Scaffolding factors (r = −.147, p < .05), Emotional sharing (r = −.168, p < .05) and Decision making process (r = −.281, p < .05). The Anger scale correlated negatively with the Emotional sharing (r = −187, p < .05), the Decision making process (r = −.182, p < .05) and the Scaffolding factors (r = −.279, p < .05); the Post-traumatic Stress correlated negatively with the Scaffolding factors (r = −.203, p < .05) and the Decision making process (r = −.238, p < .05). Lastly, the Dissociation correlated negatively with the Decision making process (r = −.270, p < .05).
Highlights
The study analysed sibling relationship as a resource for traumatized children
The question could be asked: after becoming victim of an unexpected sorrowful and/or fearful event, how considerable may be the role of a model figure like a sibling for a traumatized child? Sharing the reminiscences related to the adverse occurrence with his sibling, what perception has he had of their relationship? These questions stimulated and framed the research project
The scores obtained by the TSCC-A scales, which measured the traumatic impact of the catastrophic event experienced, and those relating to Brother as a Resource Questionnaire (BRQ) factors, which described the perception of the sibling relationship as an effective resource to cope the trauma, showed several interesting statistically significant negative correlations
Summary
The study analysed sibling relationship as a resource for traumatized children. The adverse occurrence treated in this paper is the unexpected partial collapse of a school with an avoidable urged evacuation. Some developmental factors, such as the child’s perception of the presence of his sibling during his mother’s pregnancy, account for the fact that it is one of the most significant relationships of a person’s life (Rufo 2004) This paper analysed this relationship as a resource for the scaffolding process – a support to manage the elaboration, as well as to face the tasks related to the critical event – and for the emotional and supportive sharing in the decision making process. The sufferance and fear provoked by a critical event make the recollecting process arduous to accomplish (Bahrick et al 1998; Camisasca and Pirovano 2001; Di Blasio 2001) This process may be either facilitated or inhibited in children by factors such as age, the effectiveness of the child’s role-model adult, the child’s capability to discern the different aspects of specific situations, the feeling experienced, and the child’s own personality (Camisasca and Pirovano 2001; Fivush 2001). The question could be asked: after becoming victim of an unexpected sorrowful and/or fearful event, how considerable may be the role of a model figure like a sibling for a traumatized child? Sharing the reminiscences related to the adverse occurrence with his sibling, what perception has he had of their relationship? These questions stimulated and framed the research project
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