Adult sibling-related experiences while caring for a parent diagnosed with a blood cancer.

Abstract

Introduction: An older parent’s blood cancer diagnosis impacts the entire family system, including adult siblings, an often overlooked subsystem of the family. Yet, adult siblings are typically involved in their parents’ care needs. We explored sibling-related experiences adult child caregivers identify while caring for a parent diagnosed with a blood cancer to capture information useful for caregiving intervention development. Method: Fifteen adult child caregivers with at least 1 sibling participated in an in-depth, semistructured interview. Participants were 87% white and 80% daughters. A majority of caregivers were in midlife (M age = 44), with parents diagnosed between age 56 and 90. A thematic analysis was conducted on transcripts using the constant comparative method. Results: Caregivers described 3 types of sibling-related experiences that centered on (a) caregiving responsibilities (e.g., sharing/not sharing tasks; challenging feelings about lack of involvement); (b) expectations about the caregiver role (e.g., gender, family status, and birth order expectations); and (c) coping together and apart (e.g., receiving information together, enhanced relationships, divergent maladaptive coping). Discussion: Findings illustrate how a parent’s blood cancer diagnosis can enhance the sibling bond and family system as well as contribute to tension, particularly regarding the experiences of not sharing caregiving tasks or having divergent approaches to coping. Findings also provide insight into areas in which supportive interventions or resources are needed (e.g., helping siblings talk about caregiving involvement) to promote healthy family functioning after a blood cancer diagnosis.