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Clinical Child and Family Psychology... Mar 2023Siblings of persons with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) have increased risk of poorer psychosocial functioning. This systematic review evaluated quantitative and... (Review)
Review
Psychosocial Interventions and Support Groups for Siblings of Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Conditions: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review of Sibling Self-reported Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes.
Siblings of persons with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) have increased risk of poorer psychosocial functioning. This systematic review evaluated quantitative and qualitative evidence on sibling mental health and wellbeing outcomes following psychosocial interventions and the risk and protective factors associated with post-intervention outcomes. From 2025 identified studies published from 1991 to 2022 across ten databases, 24 studies were included. The largest immediate post-intervention improvements were in self-esteem, social wellbeing and knowledge of NDCs. The most sustained improvements in intervention groups at follow-up periods were in emotional and behavioural adjustment and NDC knowledge. There were positive, but small, differences in favour of the intervention groups on knowledge of NDCs, self-esteem, coping and the sibling relationship as compared to waitlist control groups. Psychosocial interventions for siblings are heterogeneous, and more data, including consideration of unique family circumstances, are needed to improve reporting and replicability, to measure effectiveness and tailor necessary supports.
Topics: Humans; Siblings; Mental Health; Self Report; Psychosocial Intervention; Self-Help Groups
PubMed: 36175605
DOI: 10.1007/s10567-022-00413-4 -
Journal of Intellectual Disability... Apr 2023Understanding sibling relationship quality is important, as it is associated with mental health outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. Arguably, these relationships...
BACKGROUND
Understanding sibling relationship quality is important, as it is associated with mental health outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. Arguably, these relationships are even more important for individuals with intellectual disability, as siblings can be important sources of care, support, advocacy and friendship for one another. The intellectual disability field, however, has a tendency to assume that the relationship lacks reciprocity, and that it is the sibling with intellectual disability who affects the sibling, and that this effect is somehow 'negative'.
METHODS
We examined whether the behaviour problems and prosocial behaviour of 500 child sibling pairs, where one child has an intellectual disability, were associated with their sibling relationship quality. Measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires and the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire. Family poverty, the gender of both children, birth order and whether the child with intellectual disability had autism or Down syndrome were also included in the analyses.
RESULTS
Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an adequate model fit for the latent variables measuring sibling relationships. The final structural model found that the prosocial behaviour and internalising problems of the children with intellectual disability, their typically developing siblings' prosocial behaviours and sibling birth order were associated with intimacy-companionship in the sibling relationship. The internalising, externalising and prosocial behaviours of the children with intellectual disability, their siblings' externalising behaviours and sibling birth order were associated with antagonism-quarrelling in the sibling relationship.
CONCLUSIONS
We found that the behaviours of both the child with intellectual disability and their sibling were associated with both 'positive' and 'negative' dimensions of their sibling relationship. This indicates a bidirectional and reciprocal effect.
Topics: Child; Humans; Siblings; Intellectual Disability; Sibling Relations; Birth Order; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36602088
DOI: 10.1111/jir.13006 -
Journal of Family Psychology : JFP :... Mar 2017Bidirectional associations between sibling relationships and children's problem behaviors are robust, and links with prosocial behavior have also been reported. Using...
Bidirectional associations between sibling relationships and children's problem behaviors are robust, and links with prosocial behavior have also been reported. Using cross-lagged models, we were able to conservatively test temporal directions of links between positive and negative aspects of sibling relationships and children's prosocial behavior and conduct problems across a 3-year time span in middle childhood. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/data-access/data-dictionary/) is an ongoing population-based study designed to investigate the effects of a wide range of factors on children's health and development. For the purposes of the current analyses, we included 2,043 ALSPAC families who had just 1 older sibling as well as the target child, with an age gap of no more than 5 years. Mothers reported about the quality of the sibling relationship and both children's prosocial behavior and conduct problems when the target child was 4 years of age and again when the target child was 7 years old. Confirming our hypothesis, individual child behavior was predictive of sibling relationship quality, and sibling relationship quality was predictive of later child behavior, providing robust evidence of bidirectionality for both prosocial behavior and conduct problems. It would be consistent to expect that an improvement in either sibling relationship quality or individual children's behavior could have a positive spill over effect. We also found evidence of older sibling dominance in the domain of prosocial behavior and the positive aspects of sibling interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record
Topics: Child; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Family Conflict; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Sibling Relations; Siblings; United Kingdom
PubMed: 27797540
DOI: 10.1037/fam0000248 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Jul 2022Social support is a protective factor for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Social support is a protective factor for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
AIMS
We reviewed studies on social support received by siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
We conducted a pre-registered systematic review (CRD42020207686), searching PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
Fifteen articles were eligible for the review, 13 of which used cross-sectional designs. Two studies investigated sibling social support after an intervention. Multiple variables were negatively related to social support (e.g., sibling depression, loneliness, stress). Variables that were positively related to social support included prosocial behavior, competence (academic, social, and activity-related), problem-focused coping, and family quality of life. Potential moderators of the relationship between social support and psychosocial adjustment included the type of disorder of the affected sibling and the type of social support provider. We conclude with an overview of the reliability and validity of the seven social support measurements used across the studies.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Lower levels of social support are associated with more negative psychosocial adjustment among siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. We encourage future researchers to further investigate ways to increase social support for siblings to improve outcomes.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Siblings; Social Support
PubMed: 35468570
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104234 -
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf... Jan 2020While sibling relationships are known to be important for children's social and emotional well-being, little is known about sibling relationships when both siblings are...
While sibling relationships are known to be important for children's social and emotional well-being, little is known about sibling relationships when both siblings are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH). In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 young DHH adults (20-30 years old) who had studied in mainstream schools to explore their retrospective experiences of growing up with a DHH sibling. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Findings revealed two superordinate themes: (1) sibling relationship and sense of self and (2) family coping and relationships, with each superordinate theme containing several subthemes. Findings highlighted the various ways sibling relationships contribute to siblings' psychological development, identity formation, and coping with deafness. Potential challenges were identifed, as well as the role of parents' attitudes and coping with hearing loss in promoting supportive sibling relationships. Parents and professionals should be aware of the valuable and unique aspects of DHH siblingship and attend to imporatnt relationship asepcts such as sibling communication, sibling comparisons, and parental differential treatment.
Topics: Adult; Attitude to Health; Deafness; Family; Female; Hearing Loss; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Parents; Self Concept; Siblings; Social Support; Young Adult
PubMed: 31875906
DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enz038 -
Journal of Child Health Care : For... Jun 2020Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect. Little is known of the impact of having a sibling with CHD. Available literature documents negative... (Review)
Review
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect. Little is known of the impact of having a sibling with CHD. Available literature documents negative impact of having a sibling with other chronic conditions. This literature review considers empirical evidence investigating the impact of having a sibling with CHD. Twelve databases were searched, and 202 articles retrieved. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria and were subject to data extraction, quality appraisal, and narrative synthesis. Three themes emerged: changes in normal life, impact on siblings, and factors affecting the extent of impact on siblings. Only one intervention study was identified, 5 of 10 studies were conducted over 20 years ago, and only 4 studies included children as participants. Evidence suggests siblings of children with CHD experience adverse life changes which lead to negative impacts in several domains. Evidence is inconclusive regarding mitigating factors of these impacts. Further research is needed to understand the experiences of being a sibling of a child with CHD.
Topics: Child; Health Impact Assessment; Heart Defects, Congenital; Humans; Siblings
PubMed: 32216565
DOI: 10.1177/1367493520914738 -
Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi Jun 2023To derive general formulas for calculating commonly used kinship index (KI).
OBJECTIVES
To derive general formulas for calculating commonly used kinship index (KI).
METHODS
By introducing the Kronecker symbol, the formulas used to calculate the same KI under different genotype combinations were summarized into a unified expression.
RESULTS
The general formulas were successfully derived for KI in various case situations, including the paternity index, full sibling index, half sibling index, avuncular index, grandpaternity index, first-cousin index, and second-cousin index between two individuals without or with the mother being involved; grandpaternity index between grandparents and a grandchild without or with the mother being involved; half sibling index between two children with two mothers being involved; full sibling index among three children; and half sibling index among three children with no, one, or two mothers being involved.
CONCLUSIONS
The general formulas given in this study simplify the calculation of KIs and facilitate fast and accurate calculation through programming.
Topics: Female; Child; Humans; Paternity; Siblings; Genotype; Mothers; Models, Genetic
PubMed: 37517016
DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2023.530104 -
Journal of Autism and Developmental... Nov 2021We tested a novel methodological approach to examine associations between characteristics of autistic children and outcomes for siblings. Cluster analysis was used to...
We tested a novel methodological approach to examine associations between characteristics of autistic children and outcomes for siblings. Cluster analysis was used to define five groups of children with autism (n = 168) based on autism symptoms, adaptive behavior, pro-social behavior, and behavior problems. Primary and secondary parent carers, and siblings themselves, reported on sibling relationship quality and psychological adjustment. Siblings of autistic children with a mild symptom profile, high levels of adaptive skills, but high internalizing and externalizing problems had the highest level of these problems themselves and more conflict in their relationship. Siblings of autistic children with the most complex support needs (adaptive skills deficits, severe autism symptoms) reported lower warmth relationships but not elevated internalizing and externalizing problems.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder; Child; Humans; Sibling Relations; Siblings
PubMed: 33442858
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04854-0 -
Cancer Medicine May 2018Little is known about the impact of cancer on family relationships from the perspective of the pediatric cancer patient and their sibling(s). This study assessed and...
Little is known about the impact of cancer on family relationships from the perspective of the pediatric cancer patient and their sibling(s). This study assessed and compared children's experiences of family relationships in patients receiving active cancer therapy, those who have completed therapy, and siblings. A cross-sectional study of children with cancer and their siblings aged 8-17 years old was conducted. Children completed the PROMIS Pediatric Family Relationships short form and the Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, and Peer Relationships short forms. The Mann-Whitney test assessed differences in Family Relationships scores between therapy groups, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test assessed differences between patients and siblings. An actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to assess how patient and sibling variables were associated with their own and each others' family relationships. Two hundred and sixty-five children completed the assessments. Siblings of patients on-therapy had worse family relationships than patients on-therapy (P = 0.015). Family relationships of patients off-therapy did not differ from their siblings or the patients on-therapy. Family relationships scores did not differ between the sibling cohorts. The APIM found patient family relationships were impaired when their own peer relationships decreased and when either their own or their siblings had increased depressive symptoms. Sibling family relationships were impaired when their own depression increased, and when the patient counterpart was female, younger age, had less depressive symptoms, more anxiety or a diagnosis of leukemia/lymphoma (compared to solid tumor). Based on these findings, increased psychosocial resources for patients and siblings of children undergoing cancer therapy may be warranted.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Family Relations; Female; Humans; Male; Neoplasms; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Sibling Relations; Siblings
PubMed: 29577633
DOI: 10.1002/cam4.1393 -
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and... 2017To examine the effectiveness of sibling preparation classes to facilitate the adjustment of a firstborn child to the birth of a sibling.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of sibling preparation classes to facilitate the adjustment of a firstborn child to the birth of a sibling.
DESIGN
Longitudinal study with five measurement occasions: third trimester of the mother's pregnancy and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months after the sibling's birth.
SETTING
Communities in southeastern Michigan.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 241 families, including mothers, fathers, and firstborn children.
METHODS
Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires to assess changes in children's adjustment. Parents were also asked about their children's attendance at a sibling preparation class focused specifically on preparation for the newborn. Effects of attendance were tested using linear mixed models.
RESULTS
Other than avoidance of the infant, children who attended sibling preparation classes did not differ from children who did not attend.
CONCLUSION
Sibling preparation classes for adjustment after the birth of an infant sibling had few effects on participants.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Child; Child Behavior; Female; Health Education; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Michigan; Parent-Child Relations; Parenting; Parents; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Sibling Relations; Siblings
PubMed: 28528809
DOI: 10.1016/j.jogn.2017.03.005