Impact of congenital heart disease on siblings: A review

Abstract

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.

Association Between Children With Life-Threatening Conditions and Their Parents’ and Siblings’ Mental and Physical Health

“…The findings of this cohort study, limited to families of children with 1 of 4 LTCs, are consistent with increasing evidence 2 , 4 that family members of children with LTCs may have increased health care use and poorer mental and physical health. Although more research is warranted to better understand the mechanisms underlying these findings, interventions for parents and siblings of children with LTCs that aim to safeguard their mental and physical well-being appear to be warranted.…”

“…When an infant, a child, or an adolescent has a life-threatening condition (LTC), adverse collateral effects on the mental and physical well-being of parents and siblings have been observed. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 Qualitative studies have found that parents of seriously ill children reported negative effects in their own physical health, family life, marriage, social life, finances, education, and career. 1 , 5 A qualitative metasynthesis observed that parents of children with LTCs often felt like they were on a “relentless rollercoaster of highs and lows” significantly impacting parents’ emotional well-being and familial relationships.…”

“… 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 If their child is hospitalized, parents may experience high levels of distress both during and after the hospitalization. 9 , 16 , 17 , 18 Research regarding siblings, with few exceptions, 3 , 4 has focused on those whose sister or brother had cancer; these siblings may experience greater stress, depression, anxiety, problems with eating and sleeping, behavioral problems, lower quality of life, disruption of academic and social life, and poorer relationships with their parents. 10 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 …”

Sibling Relationships of Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease

“…Dinleyici et al [ 9 ] reported that the quality of life of siblings of children with chronic illness was lower than that of healthy children. Health and quality of life of siblings were affected by having a brother or sister with CHD [ 10 ]. Some studies reported that siblings of a child with chronic illness had caregiving roles and responsibilities [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Especially, some researchers have reported that sibling relationships are affected by birth order and age [ 15 , 16 ]. Sibling conflict tended to decrease with age [ 16 , 17 ] and a low degree of behavioral problems were shown in case of older siblings with a younger children with CHD [ 10 ]. However, even descriptive studies that investigated the sibling relationships among CHD adolescents according to general characteristics are rare.…”