Siblings of children with chronic disorders are at increased risk of mental health problems. Predictors of siblings’ mental health require further study to identify children in need of interventions ...and to design effective intervention programs. Siblings of children with chronic disorders (n = 107; M age = 11.5 years; SD = 2.1, 54.6% girls) and their parents (n = 199; 50.3% mothers) were included in a survey study. Siblings and parents completed questionnaires on mental health. Siblings completed questionnaires on parent–child communication, relationships with parents, and an adjustment measure on the sibling situation. Multiple linear regression analyses were applied to identify predictors of siblings’ mental health. Sibling-reported relationship with parents was a significant predictor of sibling mental health reported by siblings, fathers, and mothers (R
2
= 0.26 - R
2
= 0.46). Siblings’ adjustment was significantly associated with fathers’ report of siblings’ mental health (r = .36), but not mothers’ report (r = .17). Siblings’ relationships (d = 0.26) and communication (d = 0.33) with mothers were significantly better than with fathers. We conclude that the sibling–parent relationship is a significant factor in identifying siblings at risk and that family-based intervention programs should be developed.
Siblings of children with chronic disorders are at increased risk of experiencing family communication problems and poorer mental health. We assessed initial feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes ...of SIBS; a manual-based group intervention for siblings and parents of children with chronic disorders, aiming to improve parent-sibling communication and sibling mental health. Ninety-nine siblings aged 8–16 years (
M
= 11.5 years,
SD
= 2.0; 54.5% girls) and parents (63.6% mothers) of children with chronic disorders participated in three separate group sessions for siblings and parents and two joint sessions with integrated sibling-parent dialogues. We assessed participant satisfaction post-intervention and checked for group leader manual adherence. We measured the following outcomes at baseline, three, and six months post-intervention in an open trial: (1) parent-sibling communication quality; (2) sibling emotional and behavioral problems; (3) sibling adaptation to the disorder; and (4) sibling disorder knowledge. Using growth curve modeling, we found significant improvement in parent-sibling communication quality (p = 0.001), emotional and behavioral problems (p = 0.009), adaptation to the disorder (p = 0.003), and disorder knowledge (p = 0.000) from baseline to follow-up (effect sizes
d
= 0.22 to 0.64). Improvement in sibling-reported emotional and behavioral problems and adaptation to the disorder was partly explained by communication quality. User satisfaction was high and manual adherence was good. Our evaluation yields support for the SIBS intervention, with initial evidence of acceptability, feasibility, and beneficial outcomes. Our study suggests targeting parent-sibling communication may be a beneficial way of improving siblings’ mental health.
Highlights
SIBS is a novel five-session intervention for siblings as next of kin.
An open trial showed beneficial sibling outcomes after participating in SIBS.
Both siblings and parents reported high satisfaction with SIBS.
Involving parents actively may be key to sibling interventions.
Targeting parent-child communication may represent useful sibling support.
Berører ja, men rådgir ikke Vatne, Torun Marie
Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening (trykt utg.),
11/2017, Letnik:
137, Številka:
22
Book Review, Journal Article
Parents of children with a disability experience elevated levels of stress compared to parents of typically developing children, which represents a risk for their couple relationship. Research on ...families where a child has a disability is principally based on mothers. More knowledge is needed about the paternal perspective. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven fathers (aged 36–54 years) of children with a disability (primary school age to early twenties). We analyzed the material using qualitative conventional content analysis, focusing on participants’ descriptions of couple relationships. We categorized the participants’ descriptions in two main categories: Couplehood and Co-parenting. Throughout the material, partners were described as romantic partners, co-parents, and collaborators. Participants described that couple communication and emotional expression within couples were affected by parenting a child with a disability. Moreover, participants described influence by cultural masculinity norms on their involvement as partners and parents, and on the dynamic within their couple relationships. An uneven division of labor was described. A practice implication is that communication and emotional expression styles within the parental couple should be a key focus when working with families of children with a disability. The findings also suggest more active involvement of fathers in children’s health care.
Abstract Objective Support groups are often arranged for siblings of children with disabilities to prevent psychological maladjustment. This study describes how children express emotions in support ...groups and how group leaders and other children respond. Method Conversations in 17 group sessions for siblings aged 11 to 16 were coded with VR-CoDES to report frequency of emotional expressions and responses. Results Children expressed negative emotion during group sessions (n = 235), 59% as cues and 41%concerns. The immediate response was in 98% of the instances from the group leader. 38% of the responses focused on emotion, cognition or behavior. Conclusion Children express emotions, but seldom respond immediately to others’ emotional expressions in support groups. Group leaders should attend to emotion, cognition and behavior more frequently. Practice implications Group leaders may better fulfill the support potential of support groups through explicitly stating the role of participants, and by exploring emotional aspects.
Fathers in families with childhood disability have an important role in fostering coping and resilience in children. Insight into men’s thoughts about fathering is necessary to provide ...family-centered interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore men’s experience of being a father in families with childhood disability. Qualitative interviews were conducted with seven fathers in families with childhood disability. Content analysis was applied to analyze the data. The participants described their thoughts about children’s needs; mastery, secure attachment, clear boundaries, positive emotions, and role models. Creating a father-child unity, being active, playful, fearless, and sometimes restraint was described as fathering behaviors aiming to meet these needs. However, personal, family, and social factors were described as influencing fathers’ behaviors. Fathers’ psychological wellbeing was described to be affected by the childhood disability to different degrees, and emotional triggers related to the disability were described. Participants described using a variety of emotion regulation strategies, but somewhat restraint support seeking behavior. We conclude that the health and social welfare system should involve fathers in the provision of services to children, empower them in their role as fathers, and provide support tailored to their needs.
Quality of parent-child communication is associated with adjustment in siblings of children with chronic disorders. SIBS is an intervention aiming to increase parental listening, exploring, and ...validating behaviors while talking with siblings about their experiences. We examined parent-sibling communication during SIBS by describing: 1) Sibling-selected dialogue topics; 2) Parental responses to siblings' emotional expressions, and 3) Associations between responses and demographics and parental psychological distress. Forty dialogues (M duration = 23 minutes) between siblings (10-16 years; M
age
= 12.2 years; 52.5% boys) and one parent (62.5% mothers) were coded with the Verona Coding System for Emotional Sequences. Parents mostly provided space for further disclosure of siblings' experiences (M = 66.9%). In average, 41.9% of parental responses were exploring, 16.4% were listening, and 8.5% were validating. Few associations between parental responses and background variables were found. Parental validation should be given more focus in further development and implementation of the SIBS intervention.
PDF
