Sibling relationships of children and adolescents with mental disorders-Resource or risk factor?

Abstract

Sibling relationships wherein at least one sibling suffers from a mental disorder have seldom been studied. The few existing studies found that children with mental disorders reported high levels of disputes within sibling relationships as well as less parental support and admiration. The aim of the present study was to examine the quality of sibling relationships in children and adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis (clinical sample [CS]) as compared to an age and gender matched healthy control group (HC). One hundred fifty-six children and adolescents (nCS = 78/nHC = 78) between 8 and 18 years of age were recruited. The CS consisted of patients recruited from the daycare facility and inpatient unit of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin. HC was matched by gender, sibling position, and age. Quality of sibling relationships was examined using the German version of the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ-deu, self-report). Additionally, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 4-18) was implemented in the CS to enable a classification into externalizing, internalizing, and combined disorders. The CS sample reported a warmer sibling relationship compared to the HC sample. Conflict within the sibling relationship differed significantly between participants with internalizing, externalizing, and combined disorders. Relevance of sibling relationships as a possible resource for children and adolescents with a mental illness is discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).