The effects of disability on individuals, their parents and their family as a whole have been extensively researched. However, the specific effects on siblings have not been given adequate attention by mainstream society until recently. Consequently, few services have been available for siblings in our community. Of the research that has explored sibling needs, most have relied on parental reports or used measures developed for alternate populations measuring more general variables such as psychopathology. This research project is concerned with the development of a self-report measure of Perceived Effect of Disability for teenage siblings (12 -17 years) of children with an intellectual disability and the development and pilot of an intervention that aimed to assist the positive adjustment of teenage siblings. The development of the measure involved three stages. First, an extensive item pool was constructed from past literature with 150 potential items identified. To ensure the validity of the item pool for siblings themselves, a sample of 24 teenage siblings rated the importance of the items and subscales. This reduced the number of items. Next, focus groups were run with an alternate sample of 41 teenage siblings for further evidence that all pertinent issues were included and to explore items identified as having low importance in Stage 1. The last stage involved testing the measure’s psychometric properties with a further 80 siblings. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to determine the measure’s underlying factor structure. Results identified four factors underlying the measure, Positive Influence of Disability, Family Differences, Worry About What Others Think and Lack of Time With Others, all of which exhibited high internal consistency and test-retest reliability over a six-week period. / The final measure included 40 items and included two parts, the impact on family life and the impact on social life for siblings. The issues identified through the development of the Perceived Effect of Disability measure were then used to develop a pilot intervention that aimed to assist the positive adjustment of teenage siblings. The result was a 6-week program, consisting of 90-minute groups covering Sharing My Story, Exploring Differences and Disabilities, Exploring and Communicating Feelings, Coping Skills I, Coping Skills II and Finding Meaning. The impact of the program was piloted with two groups, consisting of 16 teenage siblings (aged 12-17 years). A matched comparison sample was also used to determine if the intervention resulted in improved perceptions of the effect of disability on siblings using the Perceived Effect of Disability (PED) subscales. There was no significant interaction between time and group on any of the PED subscales. A main effect was found for time on the Lack of Time With Others subscale only. The non-significant time x group interaction, however, indicates that the main effect of time on Lack of Time With Others scores applied to both groups. There was no significant change in family functioning or self-esteem from pre to post-test for the intervention group. However, extensive qualitative data provided strong support for the importance of such an intervention for this unique group of individuals in our community.

Tidigare forskning har visat att empatin är viktig för arbetare inom vården, så att de kan ge gensvar på kundernas upplevelser. Syftet var att undersöka om det finns skillnader i empati och vad de kan bero på hos kvinnor i vården. Studien använder Davis (1983) mätinstrument IRI som delades ut i pappersformat samt elektroniskt. Studien bestod av 108 kvinnor från olika städer i Sverige. Resultatet visade att (1) de som arbetat länge inom vården har högre perspektivtagande men mindre fantasi, än de som arbetat kortare tid,(2) personer från andra länder, än tre nordiska, känner mer personlig oro, (3) chefer har mer perspektivtagande än undersköterskor, (4) ingen skillnad visade sig i empati beroende på om personer har syskon, eller vilken syskonplacering de har. Förklaring till att perspektivtagande är högre hos dem som arbetat länge, kan bl.a. vara att människor som är äldre har erfarenheter och kunskaper om livet.

The purpose of this phenomenological enquiry was to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be an adolescent living with a sibling who has a chronic illness. Children’s chronic illness has an impact on well siblings and research findings have been inconsistent as to what effect this has on them. Semi-structured interviews using photo-elicitation were conducted with eight adolescents who had siblings with a chronic illness. Through the use of interpretive phenomenology, three themes emerged: Making Sense over Time, Getting Away from It All, and Creating Common Ground with Siblings and Family. The adolescents were able to make sense of chronic illness over time by asking parents questions about the illness and attending support groups. Siblings found normalcy in their lives by getting away to spend time alone or connecting with friends.

Bakgrund: Cancer är en sjukdom som drabbar barn i hela världen. Det finns olika former av behandlingsmetoder som anpassas till individens behov. När ett barn diagnostiseras med cancer drabbas hela familjen, inte bara barnet. Relationen mellan syskon är en av de längsta relationerna en människa har under sin livstid. Händelser som till exempel cancer kan påverka relationen markant och kan komma att ha stor inverkan på det friska syskonets liv. Syfte: Att belysa upplevelsen av att vara syskon till ett barn med cancer. Metod: Litteraturstudie av 11 studier, som sammanställdes och analyserades med inspiration från Fribergs trestegsmodell. Resultat: Resultatet visar att det sker stora förändringar inom familjen när ett barn diagnostiseras med cancer. Syskon känner att cancern tar systern/brodern ifrån dem samt beskriver olika former av copingstrategier som de använder för att hantera upplevelsen. Slutsats: Litteraturstudien visar att syskon ofta känner sig bortglömda, övergivna och har ett behov av uppmärksamhet samt att få vara delaktiga. Nyckelord: Syskon, barncancer, upplevelse / Background: Cancer is a disease that affects children throughout the world. There are various forms of treatment methods that are adapted to the needs of the individual. When a child is diagnosed with cancer it affects the whole family, not just the child. The relationship between siblings is one of the longest relationships a human has during a lifetime. Events such as cancer and death can affect the relationship significantly, and can have a major impact on the healthy sibling's life. Aim: To illustrate the experience of being a sibling to a child with cancer Method: A review containing 11 studies which were analysed and put together with inspiration from Friberg's three-step-model Results: The results that emerged show that there are many changes within the family. Siblings feel that the cancer takes the child away from them and describe the various forms of coping strategies they use to cope with the experience. Conclusion: The review shows that siblings often feel forgotten, abandoned and have a need for attention and involvement. Keywords: Siblings, Childhood cancer, experience

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and their infant siblings (ASD-siblings), exhibit deficits in their ability to shift visual attention, and to initiate and respond to joint attention. The current study examined early associations between visual attention and joint attention, and between these types of attention and later language ability and ASD severity in ASD-siblings (n = 31). This study investigated the possibility that ASD-siblings, who are at-risk for atypical development, differed from infants who have an older sibling(s) with no evidence of an ASD (Comparison-siblings; n = 23) on the following: 1) means of visual and joint attention, 2) the associations between these constructs, and 3) developmental trajectories of joint attention. Early visual attention was measured using infants' gazes at and away their parents' faces during the Face-to-Face Still-Face Protocol at 6 months. Initiating joint attention (IJA) and responding to joint attention (RJA) were measured during the Early Social Communication Scales at 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18 months. Language ability was measured with the Mullen Scales of Early Learning language at 24 and 36 months. ASD severity was measured on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule at 30 months. Results indicated that ASD-siblings and Comparison-siblings were comparable in their gaze shifting and mean durations of gazes away from their parents' faces. These two components of visual attention were associated with parent behaviors, and the type of chair infants sat in. There were group differences in IJA at 10 months and RJA at 8, 15, 18 months, with ASD-siblings performing fewer behaviors than Comparison-siblings. There were developmental associations between visual and joint attention, and joint attention and later language and ASD severity. ASD-siblings differed from Comparison-siblings in their RJA development. ASD-siblings also had lower language ability and greater ASD severity than Comparison-siblings. The current study's limitations included low statistical power, and a difficulty inherent to prospective studies, which are at a disadvantage because a high proportion ASD-siblings may not develop an ASD. Nevertheless, the findings have clinical implications for the development of interventions targeting RJA behaviors within the first year of life.

College choice and subsequent earnings. Results using Swedish sibling data. This paper investigates the relationship between college choice and annual earnings, using within-family variation in college choice. The results show that earnings vary significantly between students who graduated from different types of colleges and the earnings premium is larger for those who graduated at an old university. Do birth order and family size matter for intergenerational income mobility? Evidence from Sweden. Previous studies of intergenerational income mobility have not considered potential birth- order or family-size effects in the estimated income elasticity. This paper estimates the intergenerational income elasticity by birth-order position and family size. The main finding of this paper is that the elasticity tends to decrease with birth order for a given family size, especially for fathers and sons. A comparison of family and neighborhood effects on grades, test scores, educational attainment and income. Evidence from Sweden. This paper compares sibling and neighborhood correlations in school performance, educational attainment and income as a way to learn whether the neighborhood where a child grows up in might explain parts of the sibling similarities found in previous sibling correlation studies. The results show that living in the same neighborhood does not seem to add much to the sibling similarity. What More Than Parental Income? An exploration of what Swedish siblings get from their parents. In this paper, we explore what factors other that parental income can explain why siblings tend to have such similar outcomes as previous correlation studies show. Our results show that parental involvement and attitudes, especially propensity to plan ahead and willingness to postpone benefits to the future, are particularly important for the sibling similarity.

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the treatment of choice for many malignancies and other childhood disorders. Acknowledging that the entire family is affected when a child undergoes a BMT, increasing research attention has been given to understanding this experience from the perspectives of recipients, parents and the family as a whole. Yet, minimal attention has been directed at understanding the experience of healthy siblings as they transition through the BMT experience. Before intervention studies can be undertaken that will help healthy siblings transition through the BMT experience, knowledge about the impact of the experience on siblings is needed. Accordingly, a qualitative study guided by the philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology was conducted to elicit detailed descriptions of the lived experience of siblings. Participants were children, adolescents and young adults with a sibling who had undergone a BMT during childhood. Participants were recruited from a pediatric BMT clinic in Western Canada. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews that explored siblings’ memories about what it is like to be a sibling of a child who has had a BMT were conducted with each participant. Demographic data and field notes were recorded. All interviews and field notes were transcribed. The transcripts were reviewed repeatedly for significant statements in an attempt to find meaning and understanding through themes. The data analysis revealed the essence of siblings’ lived experience of transitioning through the BMT trajectory as an interruption in family life. Four themes communicated the essence of siblings’ lived experience: (1) life goes on, (2) feeling more or less a part of a family, (3) faith in God that things will be okay, and (4) feelings around families. Differences between donor and non-donor siblings are highlighted. Siblings’ recommendations for health care professionals are also provided. Results from this study will help health professionals better anticipate the diverse and shifting needs and demands of siblings of pediatric BMT patients. Recommendations for future research and innovations in nursing interventions are provided. / October 2005

This study examined mechanisms by which sibling relationships may buffer the harmful effects of negative peer experiences on the psychological adjustment of children with mental retardation (MR) or learning disabilities (LD). The study broadened existing findings with typically developing children and examined the effects of sibling social competency training on peer experiences and the impact of sibling relationship qualities, including warmth and positivity, supportiveness, conflict, and negativity, on children’s loneliness, internalizing, and delinquent behavior problems. The participants included 100 families with children who were between 8 and 10 years old. The families had a sibling dyad in which the target child had MR (n = 36), an LD (n = 43), or was typically developing (n = 21), while siblings were typically developing. Parents, target children, and siblings completed questionnaires and interviews assessing family and peer relationships. Sibling dyads completed a video-taped interaction. Results indicated that, as predicted, children with an LD or MR experienced significantly lower rates of positive peer experiences and significantly higher rates of negative peer experiences than did typically developing children. They exhibited significantly higher rates of loneliness and internalizing, but not delinquent, behavior problems than typically developing children. There was only partial support for the hypothesized protective effects of siblings on children’s development of adverse peer experiences. In particular, there was an indirect effect of one form of social competency training: social involvement mediated the effect of learning disabilities on adverse peer experiences. As predicted by the buffering hypothesis, emotional supportiveness by siblings moderated the impact of negative peer experiences on children’s internalizing and delinquent behavior problems. In addition, negativity within the sibling relationship moderated the effect of negative peer experiences on children’s internalizing problems while sibling conflict moderated the effect of positive peer experiences on loneliness. There were no significant effects for sibling warmth and positivity. Findings that siblings of children with MR or an LD can buffer some of the harmful effects of adverse peer experiences on psychological well being in specific instances suggest that including siblings in interventions aimed at improving peer experiences and psychological functioning may be relevant under certain circumstances.

Siblings can serve as significant companions and caregivers for individuals with ID throughout the lifespan. Yet, the developmental course of sibling relationships for siblings of individuals with ID has not been well addressed in the current literature. Thus, the current study examined change over time in four dimensions of relationship quality (power, intimacy, conflict, and rivalry) as well as how the constellation variables of sex, birth order, and age differences affected the development of relationship quality. Sibling relationships were found to have a stable power structure, with the nondisabled sibling reporting higher levels of power in the relationship. Developmental trajectories indicated that these relationships grew in positive regard while levels of conflict decreased over time. Yet, behaviors characterizing intimate relationships did not show similar increases. Constellation variables were found to have effects on specific relationship dimensions, including conflict and intimate behaviors.