Future Involvement of Siblings in the Lives of Persons with Mental Illness

Hatfield, Agnes B.; Lefley, Harriet P.

doi:10.1007/s10597-005-5005-y

Cited by 57 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…However, we focused in this study on a more limited set of factors predicting sibling expectations because prior research suggests these are the most salient factors in shaping the expectations of siblings about their future involvement as caregivers to their siblings with mental illness (Greenberg et al, 1999;Hatfield & Lefley, 2005).…”

Section: Nih-pa Author Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, little is known about the factors that sustain the bonds of affection between siblings when one sibling has a severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia (Hatfield & Lefley, 2005). Future research is needed on the variables that promote high quality relationships between siblings when one sibling has schizophrenia.…”

Section: Implications For Practice and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Third, we did not collect data from the brother or sister with schizophrenia about how he or she felt about being the recipient of care from a sibling. As Hatfield and Lefley (2005) discuss, the involvement of a sibling is in part limited by the openness of the brother or sister to offers of help. Future research should not only assess the siblings' expectations of providing help, but the perceptions of the one needing care.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Siblings of adults with schizophrenia: Expectations about future caregiving roles.

Smith

Greenberg

Seltzer

2007

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

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Sibling expectations to provide future instrumental or emotional support for a brother or sister with schizophrenia when parents became disabled or died were examined. Data came from a sample of 137 siblings participating in a longitudinal study of aging families of adults with schizophrenia. Early socialization experiences, the quality of the sibling relationship, and personal caregiver gains propel siblings toward a future caregiving role, whereas geographic distance and beliefs about the controllability of psychiatric symptoms reduce expectations of future involvement. Keywords family caregiving; sibling relationships; schizophrenia; mental illness; caregiver gainsWith the rise of deinstitutionalization in the 1960s, many persons with mental illness turned to their families for support because of the lack of adequate community-based services. Even today, with the presence of an array of community services, family members, in particular parents, are often required to step in to fill in the gaps in the service system. However, as parents age, their capacity to provide support diminishes and ultimately ends (Lefley, 1987). It is generally assumed that siblings will become the next generation of caregivers for adults with mental illness (Hatfield & Lefley, 2000;Horwitz, 1993;Wasow, 2000). However, little is known about the willingness of siblings to take on a future caregiving role or the factors that may propel or deter siblings from taking on this role in the future. In this study, we investigate two research questions: (1) To what extent do siblings expect to be involved in future caregiving tasks for a brother or sister with schizophrenia? (2) What factors influence sibling expectations for assuming a future caregiving role for a brother or sister?This study extends our prior work on the role of siblings as future caregivers for adults with mental illness in three important ways. First, in our earlier work, the outcome was limited to whether or not siblings expected to be involved in the future direct care of their brother or sister with mental illness. In this study, we asked siblings about their caregiving expectations or intentions with respect to a broad range of instrumental tasks and emotionally supportive activities. We focused on behavioral expectations or intentions toward future involvement because intentions, although not the sole determinant of behavior, are better predictors of behaviors than attitudes (Fishbein, Hennessy, Yzer, & Douglas, 2003). Second, we gathered data on a much richer array of factors that may influence the extent to which siblings expect to provide instrumental and emotional support to their brother or sister with mental illness when their parents are no longer able to assume a caregiving role. Third, whereas our earlier NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript study focused on siblings of persons who had a broad range of serious mental illnesses (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia), in this study we narrowed our fo...

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Section: Nih-pa Author Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For Practice and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Siblings of adults with schizophrenia: Expectations about future caregiving roles.

Smith

Greenberg

Seltzer

2007

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

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“…Also, having a high-quality sibling relationship enhances the life satisfaction of adults with schizophrenia (6). Yet little is known about factors that sustain bonds of affection between siblings when one sibling has a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia (7). In this study we examined the factors that affect the quality of the relationship between siblings when one has schizophrenia.…”

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confidence: 99%

Factors Contributing to the Quality of Sibling Relationships for Adults With Schizophrenia

Smith¹,

Greenberg²

2008

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Objectives-Research suggests that the quality of sibling relationships has a significant impact on the lives of adults with schizophrenia. A life course perspective was used to guide an investigation of the predictors of the quality of the relationship between adults with schizophrenia and their siblings.Methods-The data come from a longitudinal study of families of adults with schizophrenia. This study is based on a survey of 136 siblings of adults with schizophrenia. Multiple regression was used to estimate the predictors of sibling relationship quality.Results-Siblings reported a better relationship when they grew up in a more cohesive family environment (beta=.16, p<.05) and when they experienced more personal gains from coping with the challenges of a brother's or sister's mental illness (beta=.37, p<.001). Siblings reported a worse relationship when they perceived their brother or sister with schizophrenia as having control over his or her symptoms (beta=−.18, p<.05), expressed greater fear of their brother's or sister's behavior (beta=−.17, p<.05), and indicated that their brother or sister had struck or threatened them at some point in their lives (beta=−.18, p<.05).Conclusions-The quality of the sibling relationship is a major contributor to sibling involvement in the future and to the quality of life of adults with schizophrenia. By identifying the factors associated with positive sibling relationships, mental health providers will be better prepared to engage siblings in the treatment process and help promote stronger bonds of affection between adults with schizophrenia and their siblings.With deinstitutionalization, many individuals with mental illness turned to their families for support because of the absence of adequate community-based services. Even today, with the presence of a greater array of community services, family members, in particular parents, often step in to fill in the gaps in the service system. However, many of these parents are now in their retirement years. Thus growing numbers of adults with schizophrenia will likely look to their siblings for support as their aging parents' capacity to provide care diminishes and ultimately ends (1,2).The quality of the relationship that individuals with schizophrenia develop with their siblings has great significance for their overall quality of life. The quality of this relationship influences the involvement of siblings in helping their brothers or sisters with mental illness as well as

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“…Sibling relationships may be particularly important because few adults with severe mental illness have children. As parents grow older, adult children are expected to support their sibling with mental illness when their parents are no longer able to do so [15]. According to Smith and Greenberg [16], the sibling relationship has the potential to be one of the most significant relationships for adults with schizophrenia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I screamed for help”: A single case study of one sister’s experiences with formal psychiatric care when her brother became mentally ill

Sjöblom¹,

Lilja²

2013

Health

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Studies have shown that the quality of the relationship between siblings has great significance for the mentally ill sibling's overall quality of life. Sibling relationships may be particularly important because few adults with severe mental illness have children. As parents grow older, adult children are expected to support their sibling with mental illness when their parents are no longer able to do so. The sibling relationship has the potential to be one of the most significant relationships for adults with schizophrenia. The aim of this paper is to present a case study of a sister's experiences and needs in her contact with psychiatric care. This single case study was designed and the informant was recruited because of her value in maximizing what we can learn about being a sibling to a person with mental illness. Data were collected through four in-depth, semi-structured, repeated interviews during a two-year period, and were interpreted and analyzed through content analysis. Three major topics were discussed: 1) Anna's brother's time with formal psychiatric care; 2) Anna's feelings and emotions; and 3) Anna's view of her contact with psychiatric care. The findings indicated a sibling's need for attention, support, and understanding from the formal caregivers. Participation in our study was one of the first opportunities she had to talk about her relationship with formal psychiatric care. An open dialogue may help siblings to manage their situations.

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Future Involvement of Siblings in the Lives of Persons with Mental Illness

Cited by 57 publications

References 15 publications

Siblings of adults with schizophrenia: Expectations about future caregiving roles.

Siblings of adults with schizophrenia: Expectations about future caregiving roles.

Factors Contributing to the Quality of Sibling Relationships for Adults With Schizophrenia

“I screamed for help”: A single case study of one sister’s experiences with formal psychiatric care when her brother became mentally ill

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