Adjustment In Siblings Of Children Research Articles

A Meta-Analysis on Adjustment Difficulties in Siblings of Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

This meta-analytic study aimed to examine how the presence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a child affects their sibling(s)’s social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment. Many studies have investigated how the presence of ASD in a child affects their sibling(s) in social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment, but their results are mixed. Moreover, the previous reviews did not address the personal characteristics that account for the differences in siblings’ adjustment. This review focused on examining the three primary domains of adjustment and the moderating factors of their adjustment by applying a new meta-analytic approach of structural equation modeling (SEM) to provide a reliable statistical synthesis of effect sizes observed in existing individual studies. A total of 120 effect sizes – standardized differences between siblings of children with ASD and siblings of typically developing (TD) children—were calculated from 24 studies. The results revealed that siblings of children with ASD experienced more adjustment difficulties than siblings of TD children in all three domains. Furthermore, this study found that adjustment difficulties were more likely to be alleviated when siblings were older, female, and/or older than their sibling(s) with ASD. The findings provide important implications for support systems that can help siblings of children with ASD learn practical coping skills, develop a strong bond with family, and share their experiences with others in the community. Future research is needed to clarify other potential covariates that affect adjustment in siblings of children with ASD.

A Scoping Review of Psychosocial Adjustment in Siblings of Children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

A Scoping Review of Psychosocial Adjustment in Siblings of Children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Parent-child communication about emotions during SIBS: a joint intervention for siblings and parents of children with chronic disorders

Quality of parent-child communication is associated with adjustment in siblings of children with chronic disorders. SIBS is an intervention aiming to increase parental listening, exploring, and validating behaviors while talking with siblings about their experiences. We examined parent-sibling communication during SIBS by describing: 1) Sibling-selected dialogue topics; 2) Parental responses to siblings’ emotional expressions, and 3) Associations between responses and demographics and parental psychological distress. Forty dialogues (M duration = 23 minutes) between siblings (10–16 years; Mage = 12.2 years; 52.5% boys) and one parent (62.5% mothers) were coded with the Verona Coding System for Emotional Sequences. Parents mostly provided space for further disclosure of siblings’ experiences (M = 66.9%). In average, 41.9% of parental responses were exploring, 16.4% were listening, and 8.5% were validating. Few associations between parental responses and background variables were found. Parental validation should be given more focus in further development and implementation of the SIBS intervention.

A family-based intervention to promote adjustment in siblings of children with cancer: A pilot study.

A family-based intervention to promote adjustment in siblings of children with cancer: A pilot study.

Siblings of children with autism: Predictors of adjustment

As the prevalence of autism increases, so does the need to examine the effects of autism on family members of children with autism. The current study evaluated possible predictors of adjustment in siblings of children with autism. Aspects of the parents’ functioning as caregivers for a child with autism were examined to determine whether they predicted the adjustment of the child's sibling. Two hundred caregivers of 4–10-year-old children with autism who had at least one sibling without autism participated by filling out questionnaires online. Parental satisfaction with the role of caregiver for the child with autism was negatively correlated with difficulties in sibling adjustment, and it was the only significant predictor of sibling adjustment in a hierarchical regression analysis. Parental stress and parental self-efficacy were not unique contributors to sibling adjustment when other parental variables were considered. No significant relationship was found between parental therapy involvement and sibling adjustment, or between parental educational involvement and sibling adjustment. The lack of parental involvement as a predictor of sibling adjustment adds new findings to the current literature, which had found such a relationship in a previous study with a smaller sample.

Assessing Psychological Adjustment in Siblings of Children With Cancer

The siblings of children with neoplastic disease are at risk of emotional and behavioral problems, but few studies have focused on these risks, and findings across studies are inconsistent. The objective of this study was to assess psychological adjustment in siblings of children with cancer and analyze the impact of several moderating variables. Parents of children with cancer completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) on their healthy offspring (n = 30, aged 4-18 years), and a semistructured interview on potential risk factors to their child's adaptation. Child Behavior Checklist scores were compared with those of a control sample of the same age (n = 33). Contrary to expectations, CBCL scores were better for the siblings of children with cancer. Healthy siblings' sex and age, family size, understanding of the situation, and changes in daily routine had no influence on CBCL scores. Parent-reported scores indicated that older siblings of the child with cancer have more observable difficulties than do younger siblings. Future research about healthy siblings will need to clarify whether these results are attributable to healthy siblings' resilience or to parents' difficulties in assessing their psychosocial difficulties. Directly measuring the siblings' perceptions will be of special importance. Distinguishing short- and long-term adjustment will also be important. It is essential to design support programs for all family members and to help parents be aware of their healthy children's needs.

Applied Behavior Analysis Programs for Autism: Sibling Psychosocial Adjustment During and Following Intervention Use

Psychosocial adjustment in siblings of children with autism whose families were using a home-based, applied behavior analysis (ABA) program was compared to that of siblings in families who were not using any intensive autism intervention. Data gathered from parents, siblings and teachers indicated that siblings in ABA families experienced neither significant drawbacks nor benefits in terms of their behavioral adjustment, sibling relationship quality and self-concept compared to control group siblings, either during or following intervention use. Parents and siblings perceived improvements in sibling interaction since the outset of ABA, with parents somewhat more positive in their views than were siblings. Social support was associated with better sibling outcomes in all groups. Implications for supporting families using ABA are considered.

Factors influencing adjustment in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders

Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be at an increased risk of adjustment problems. To examine possible predictors of adjustment difficulties in siblings, 70 mothers with at least one child with ASD and one typical child completed surveys of symptom severity in the child with ASD, impact of the child with ASD on the sibling, maternal depression, and broader autism phenotype (BAP) and behavioral adjustment in the typical sibling. A path analysis indicated that symptom severity in the children with ASD was positively associated with adjustment difficulties in the typical siblings; this relationship was mediated by maternal depression, but not sibling impact. Further, greater expression of the BAP in the siblings was associated with more adjustment difficulties, and this relationship was moderated by autism severity in the children with ASD, such that the relationship was stronger at high levels of ASD severity than at lower levels. These findings highlight the importance of assessing functioning of all family members when working with individuals with ASD and their families.

Factors associated with positive adjustment in siblings of children with severe emotional disturbance: The role of family resources and community life.

This study builds on the scant research involving siblings of children with severe emotional disturbances (SED) and examines: associations between adversity experiences and adjustment among 5- to 10-year-old siblings, and relations among family resources, community life, and sibling adjustment. Caregivers from 100 families completed standardized indicators of sibling adjustment and scales reflecting multiple contextual variables. Results document negative associations between stress exposure and sibling adjustment. Regression models also indicate positive associations between the caregiver-child relationship and broader family resources on sibling behavioral and emotional strengths, even after accounting for adversity experiences; adversity exposure was the prime correlate in regression models involving sibling oppositional behavior. Analyses also suggest that strain related to parenting a child with SED is associated with sibling adjustment. This work documents the needs of these siblings and their family systems and highlights the relevance of not only core proximal influences (e.g., child-caregiver relationship) but also elements of their broader contexts. Implications and recommendations are described, including the need to support plans of care that involve services, supports, or preventive strategies for these siblings.

Emotional and behavioural adjustment in siblings of children with intellectual disability with and without autism

Siblings of children with autism may be at greater risk for psychological problems than siblings of children with another disability or of typically developing (TD) children. However, it is difficult to establish whether autism or the presence of intellectual disability (ID) explains the findings in previous research. Mothers rated the emotional and behavioural adjustment of siblings of children with ID with (N = 25) or without (N = 24) autism. Data were also available 18 months later for siblings of children with autism and ID (N = 15). Siblings of children with autism and ID had more emotional problems compared with siblings of children with ID only and with normative data. Three variables were pertinent: increasing age of the child with autism, having a brother with autism, and being younger than the child with autism. Behavioural and emotional difficulties of siblings of children with autism and ID were relatively stable over 18 months.

Child, parent, and family predictors of latter adjustment in siblings of children with autism

Research findings examining the adjustment of siblings of children with autism has been inconsistent, with some studies concluding that siblings are negatively impacted, while others have found no adverse effects. We argue that one reason for these inconsistent findings may be the failure by some investigators to take into account the increased genetic vulnerability faced by siblings of children with autism. In this study, we assessed the adjustment of siblings, with and without a diagnosed non-medical disability or disorder, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1337–1341]. When compared to non-diagnosed siblings and a large normative sample, diagnosed siblings scored significantly higher in terms of adjustment difficulties and lower in terms of prosocial behavior. In addition, in hierarchical regressions, several child, parent, and family factors were found to be significant predictors of adjustment among non-diagnosed siblings when assessed 2 years latter, while no explanatory variables were significantly linked to latter adjustment outcomes among siblings with a diagnosed disability or disorder. Study limitations and implications are discussed.

Brief report: empathy and psychological adjustment in siblings of children with cancer.

To examine relationships between empathy, illness concepts, sibling relationship variables, and psychological adjustment among siblings of children with cancer. Participants were 29 siblings and 14 children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Data included self- and parent-report questionnaires completed during active treatment. Siblings did not exhibit increased rates of behavior problems, but did display more social and academic difficulties. Empathy was a significant predictor of externalizing and total problems. Cancer knowledge was not related to adjustment, but was associated with empathy. Birth order of the child with cancer and closeness within the sibling relationship were associated with less positive adjustment. Empathy may play an important role in sibling adjustment following the diagnosis of cancer. Specific sibling relationship and family variables may be helpful in identifying siblings who are at greater need for psychosocial intervention.

Responsibility and Adjustment in Siblings of Children with Disabilities: Update and Review

This article provides a review of research addressing the role of home and child care responsibility in the psychological adjustment of siblings of children with disabilities, as defined by special education law. Early classic studies are reviewed followed by more recent work on gender and SES of the sibling, the relationship of sibling responsibility to adjustment and the level of home and child care responsibility for siblings with and without a brother/sister who has a disability. The author concludes that neither the existence of higher levels of responsibility for siblings of children with disabilities nor the classification of responsibility as a psychological risk factor have been established. In studies that Included comparison groups, girls had more home and child care responsibility than boys, whether or not there was a child with a disability in the home. However, the sibling's worry about future responsibility and cognitions about the responsibility that does exist are worthy of further exploration. Clinicians are advised to consider the issue of responsibility and how it is viewed by family members in work with families of children who have disabilities, and to be aware of cultural and religious characteristics of the family as they pertain to the issue of family responsibility for its members.

Psychosocial adjustment in siblings of children with chronic life-threatening illness: a research note.

The psychosocial functioning of 10 siblings of children with chronic life-threatening illness and their parents was compared with 10 healthy matched controls. The main differences found were in family relationships, with the index siblings expressing more negative emotion in relation to their fathers than controls, index mothers being less involved in social activities and index fathers being less involved with the extended family. No significant differences were found in any of the measures of depression, anxiety and self concept. Index siblings expressed a number of other concerns such as a fear of the break up of their family after the sick child died. The need for increased awareness of the welfare of healthy siblings as well as closer involvement of the fathers is discussed.