Siblings and pediatric chronic illness: a review of the literature

Williams, Phoebe D.

doi:10.1016/s0020-7489(97)00019-9

Cited by 118 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the qualitative part of the study (using grounded theory) indicated that the siblings had concerns (e.g., having a routine during transplants; not being left out; not being away from parents) that were short of having the clinical anxieties indicated by SCAS. Moreover, the SCAS results were consistent with the argument that such children may become resilient and emotionally strong in the face of adversity, which in this case is a sister/brother having renal failure [15,16]. This may, therefore, counteract the vulnerability that the children feel.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Support, however, does not extend to more substantive clinical support in order to resolve clinical anxieties. Although previous studies have shown an increased risk for the development of mental health problems in siblings of children with chronic illness, the results are inconsistent and may relate to the underlying disease and the time for optimum sibling adjustment [16,17]. Chronic renal failure is often a slow insidious process and early referral to specialist units who have a multiprofessional team approach may allow families to adjust better with information and education needs being met [18,19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of chronic renal failure on siblings

2005

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It is well recognised that chronic illness in children can have a significant effect upon siblings, but their viewpoints need to be sought if we are to change our practice. We conducted semi-structured interviews at home with 15 siblings (8 males) aged 8-12 years whose brother/sister were on chronic dialysis or had received or were waiting for a renal transplant. The interviews were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The children also completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), which revealed no statistically significant evidence that they were exhibiting chronic clinical anxiety. Qualitative data indicated that siblings had a variety of concerns concerning their own health and that of their siblings and worried about the effects on family routine and separation from parents. The siblings felt more protective towards their chronically ill sibling and felt that they themselves needed to be more grown up. The study has implications for our clinical practice in that our psychosocial assessment of families needs to include an assessment of sibling needs and siblings should be involved when preparing patients for chronic renal failure treatment. The importance of maintaining family routines should be emphasised, as well as trying to involve siblings in unit activities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of chronic renal failure on siblings

2005

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“…Others have found no important differences in psychosocial development between siblings of disabled children and their peers representing the general population (Thompson, Curtner, & O'Rear, 2011). What is more, the results obtained in some studies have shown positive effects of living with a disabled child on healthy siblings (Phuphaibul & Muensa, 1999;Williams, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prosocial competencies among adolescent siblings of the physically disabled

Perenc¹,

Radochoński²,

Radochońska³

2015

Current Issues in Personality Psychology

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Background The current study examined possible prosocial benefits of having a disabled sibling. Until now research has mainly focused on the negative effects of having a sibling with a disability. We hypothesized that regular and frequent interactions with a disabled person should result in an increase of positive attitude and empathy toward other people who are in a disadvantageous situation. Participants and procedure A sample of 208 students from public secondary schools (middle and high schools) completed the Polish version of the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) in order to assess the tendencies to prosocial behaviors in different conditions. Participants were between 13 and 18 years old. Ninety-six adolescents had a disabled sibling (group T) and 112 constituted the control group (group C). Results Results showed that group T generally scored higher than group C in the number of helping behaviors. Furthermore, girls scored higher than boys in anonymous prosocial behaviors. The older adolescents are more inclined to use helping behaviors both in anonymous and compliant situations than their younger colleagues. Conclusions Presence of disabled children in a family context may facilitate prosocial behavior in their non-disabled siblings. Older participants less frequently described themselves as prosocial in public situations. In contrast, younger adolescents reported weaker prosocial tendencies in anonymous and compliant situations. The effect of gender on prosocial tendencies was significant for public prosocial behavior, with a higher level achieved by males in this domain. Data analysis also showed significantly greater emotional and altruistic tendencies in females than in males.

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“…For example, low self esteem was reported by Williams (1997) in her review of literature on siblings of children with chronic illness including arthritis and Britton and Moore (2002) found that siblings of children with JIA were aware of their ill sibling's adverse experiences at school and within the community, which were often not reported to parents. However, Dunn (2000) also highlights how healthy siblings can be a valuable source of support and how sibling intimacy can increase within families facing the stressful experience of a child's chronic illness and Britton and Moore (2002) offer examples of how siblings have been seen as more considerate and understanding of others due to having a brother or sister with JIA.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%