Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om och i så fall hur syskon till barn med funktionsnedsättning påverkas psykosocialt. Undersökningen baseras på kvalitativa intervjuer och litteratur samt rapporter relevanta för ämnet. De intervjuade har redovisat sin syn på hur de anser att barn påverkats av att växa upp som syskon till barn med funktionsnedsättning inom autismspektrumtillstånd. Resultatet påvisar att syskon under sin uppväxt blir utsatta för en mer stressrelaterad situation än jämnåriga och blir mer åsidosatta än barn i övrigt. Undersökningen visar också att syskon till barn med diagnos inom autismspektrum får med sig karaktärsdrag såsom större empati, mognad och ansvar. Att få kunskap över sitt syskons funktionsnedsättning visar sig vara av stor betydelse för hur barn hanterar sin livssituation. Genom uppmärksamhet och professionell hjälp såsom samtal och stöd blir syskon bättre rustade att klara den situationen de befinner sig i. / The purpose of this essay is to examine whether if siblings of children with disabilities are affected psychosocially or not. The study is based on qualitative interviews, literature and reports relevant to the topic. Respondents have presented their views on how they think children are affected by growing up as siblings to children with disabilities in autism spectrum disorders. The result demonstrates that siblings, while growing up are being exposed to a more stress-related situation than their peers and are more neglected than children in general. The survey also found that siblings of children with a diagnosis within the autism spectrum may bring character traits such as greater empathy, maturity and responsibility. Gaining knowledge of their sibling's disability proves to be of great importance for how the children manage their lives. Through attention and professional assistance such as conversation and support the siblings are better equipped to cope with the situation, which they´re in.

Sibling relationship quality is affected by several variables, such as gender, age spacing, marital conflicts, parenting, and parent-child relationship, which simultaneously influence personality and developmental outcomes. Furthermore, sibling relationships can significantly influence the social climate of the family and vice versa. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of household composition (1-parent home vs. 2-parent home) and the number of years between siblings ages on sibling relationship quality, and to determine whether parental conflict response management strategies differ between single-parent and 2-parent homes. The participants were 124 adult mothers with at least 2 children. Participants provided demographic information and completed the Parental Expectations and Perceptions of Children's Sibling Relationships Questionnaire to measure sibling relationship quality and the Parental Conflict Management Strategies to measure parental responses to sibling conflict. The 4 research questions were assessed using a quantitative design that used 2-factor multivariate analysis of variance and a chi-square test of independence. The result revealed that household type affected sibling rivalry such that 1-parent households reported less sibling rivalry than 2-parent households. The results also showed that there is no preference for any specific conflict management strategy for sibling conflict among single-parent and two-parent households. Social change implications may result from this study based on a better understanding of how sibling relationship quality has been affected by different family dynamics, such as changes in household composition.

Le fait d’avoir une sœur ou un frère autiste peut exercer une influence majeure sur le parcours et les expériences de vie des personnes non autistes de même que créer certains défis, y compris à l’âge adulte. Malgré une visibilité de plus en plus importante des personnes autistes et de leur famille, le vécu de leurs frères et sœurs non autistes à l’âge adulte est actuellement très peu documenté. Le présent mémoire rend compte de divers défis et expériences qui teintent le parcours de frères et sœurs adultes non autistes de personnes autistes. L’objectif est de mieux comprendre ces personnes pour leur offrir un soutien plus adapté à leurs besoins. Des entretiens individuels semi-dirigés ont été réalisés auprès de 10 personnes âgées de 25 à 34 ans ayant un frère ou une sœur autiste et vivant au Québec. Les résultats mettent en lumière les impacts systémiques des réponses à l’autisme et à ses manifestations au sein de la famille des personnes interviewées. Les besoins de la fratrie en lien avec son propre bien-être ainsi qu’avec l’accès aux services et à l’information y sont aussi explorés. Notre recherche démontre que dans l’ensemble, les réponses aux besoins de la personne autiste et des membres de sa famille ont un impact sur l’expérience de la fratrie non autiste et influence le développement de sa résilience. Les professionnelles et professionnels du travail social peuvent jouer un rôle-clé à cet effet. Ce mémoire entend contribuer à une meilleure compréhension des expériences et des besoins de la fratrie non autiste. Il a aussi pour objectif de permettre aux travailleuses sociales et travailleurs sociaux de mieux accompagner ces personnes et leurs familles. / Having a sibling with autism can have a major influence on the life course and experiences of people without autism, as well as creating challenges, including in adulthood. Despite the increasing visibility of people with autism and their families, the experiences of their non-autistic brothers and sisters in adulthood are currently poorly documented. This thesis reports on the various challenges and experiences that characterize the journey of non-autistic adult siblings of people with autism. The objective is to better understand these people to offer them support more suited to their needs. Semi-structured individual interviews were carried out with 10 people aged 25 to 34 with an autistic sibling and living in Quebec. The results highlight the systemic impacts of responses to autism and its manifestations within the families of those interviewed. The needs of siblings in relation to their own well-being as well as access to services and information are also explored. Our research shows that overall, the responses to the needs of the autistic person and their family members have an impact on the experience of non-autistic siblings and influences the development of their resilience. Social work professionals can play a key role in this regard. This thesis intends to contribute to a better understanding of the experiences and needs of non-autistic siblings. It also aims to enable social workers to better support these people and their families.