Currently sibling research is burgeoning, yet there is virtually no literature regarding outcomes associated with witnessing the abuse of a sibling. The present study aimed to address this gap in the literature. A sample of 284 university students were surveyed regarding traumatic experiences in childhood and adulthood, the quality of childhood sibling relationships, and the experience of trauma symptoms in adulthood. Regression and moderation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between witnessing the abuse of a sibling in childhood and trauma symptoms in adulthood and to assess whether sibling relationship quality moderates the association between sibling abuse and trauma symptomology. Results showed that witnessing the abuse of a sibling was associated with depression symptoms in the overall sample and for females reporting about a brother. Also, sibling conflict moderated the relationship between witnessed sibling abuse and externalization in sister-sister dyads. These associations should be considered in terms of the systemic abuse to which participants were exposed. Implications for clinical practice working with sibling-related victimization are discussed.

Background. Clinical management of families with autosomal recessive genetic disorders focuses almost exclusively on the affected family members. However, clinically unaffected members of such families may also be severely troubled by the serious illness in a family member. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthy siblings of patients with a chronic genetic disease, Fanconi Anemia (FA). Procedure. We used a qualitative, descriptive design, which consisted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. A convenience sample of nine siblings of patients with FA was recruited from a National Cancer Institute clinical research protocol, which targets families with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. NVivo 2.0 software facilitated qualitative content analysis of the data. Results. Siblings' rich descriptions provided novel insights into the intricate hardships of living within a family in which a rare, life-threatening, chronic genetic illness in one member is the focus of daily life. Four major themes of the sibling experience emerged from the interview data: (1) containment, (2) invisibility, (3) worry, and (4) despair. Conclusions. Our data suggest that unrecognized psychosocial issues exist for the apparently healthy siblings of patients with FA. This study explores the psychosocial consequences of living in a family with FA and one of only a few studies to explore the sibling experience of chronic illness using a contemporaneous approach. These findings support the need for an increased awareness among health care providers; future hypothesis driven investigation, and improved assessment of problems with potential psychological morbidity.

We studied perceptions parental differential treatment as reported by parents and children in two different settings. Perceptions of differential affection and control were examined in healthy families and in families that include a child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Parental differential treatment was assessed using questionnaires that measured perceptions of absolute parenting for children and their siblings. Difference scores were subsequently utilized to generate perceived parental differential treatment scores. Participants were 61 parents (half with healthy children, half with one child who has diabetes) and 62 children (half comprising sibling pairs unaffected by any medical problems, half including one child with Type 1 diabetes). Children within the sibling pairs were between 11 and 18 years of age and approximately two years apart, on average. Parents were also asked about their children's emotional/behavioral adjustment and adherence to prescribed medical regimen (in the diabetes group), and their levels of parenting stress. Children were also administered measures regarding their emotional/behavioral adjustment, average adherence (in the diabetes group), and perceptions of deservedness of parental treatment perceived. No differences in strength of correlations between ratings of parental differential treatment and child adjustment iv were detected across groups. Significant differences, however, emerged with regard to type of perceived parental differential treatment that related to child adjustment scores across groups. Relationships were also detected between perceived parental differential treatment and ratings of adherence and measures of glycemic control in the diabetes group. Perceived deservedness as rated by children, ratings of absolute parenting, and parenting stress were observed to moderate the relationship between ratings of parental differential treatment and child adjustment. Parental differential treatment scores predicted unique variance in reported child behavior problems above and beyond that predicted by absolute parenting measures. Differences in relationships across groups, the role of gender, and the importance of context and family in studying perceptions of parental differential treatment and child adjustment are discussed.

Exposure to parental alcohol use disturbs important family relationships and may influence self-differentiation and triangulation, especially among siblings. The sibling relationship provides a foundation for future relationships, yet researchers know little about how parental alcohol abuse influences the sibling relationship. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological inquiry was to explore the influence of parental alcohol abuse on triangulation and self-differentiation in the sibling relationship in families of origin. Purposeful sampling and semistructured, face-to-face interviews were used to gather information from 12 self-identified adult children of alcoholics to explore triangulation and self-differentiation among siblings. The research questions guided the study to help reveal how triangulation and self-differentiation among siblings is influenced in their family of origin by parental alcoholism. Twelve audio-recorded interviews were manually transcribed and coded for themes using a categorization system based on word repetitions, key terms, and metaphors. Family systems theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Member-checking, detailed descriptions and audit trials were used to determine the trustworthiness of data. Sibling relationships in an alcohol-focused family system were found to be volatile and stressful, resulting in triangulated relationships and a distorted sense of self. The results of this study may add to the current body of literature on the alcohol-focused family system, and the associated recommendations may inform treatment modules with targeted interventions designed for siblings. Such interventions would result from a proposed shift in the current treatment focus on the identified client to a more family system based approach to treatment.

Sibling relationships are typically the most enduring relationship in the family unit. A large body of research documents how sibling relationships occur in the context of the immediate family, how they impact behaviors such as risk-taking, how different cultures view siblings, and how similarities and differences among siblings can be attributed to genetics as well as shared and non-shared experiences. However, one relatively common family context in which sibling dynamics are less understood is organized youth sport. The present dissertation was designed to address multiplegaps in the present literature. This dissertation is comprised of two complementary studies. Study 1, guided by a family systems perspective and a social constructivist epistemology, employed a qualitative methodology in an effort to better understand individuals’ experiences of the processes and mechanisms that impact family and sibling relationships in organized youth sport. Study 2 addressed two competing mechanisms of socialization, modeling and differentiation, employing a quantitative methodology to examine older siblings’ impact on younger siblings’ participation in organized youth sport. Results from Study 1 show that similarities exist among and between family units. Specifically, families experience both warmth and conflict in sibling relationships, in addition, modeling and differentiation behaviors are reported in multiple families. Of note, a unique pathway of influence (i.e., Parent-Initiated Differentiation) was recognized. This exploratory study helped give voice to families that have children that participate in youth sport. Study 2 results point to the main effect of biological sex being associated with siblings not being in the same main sport. In addition, a three-way interaction between younger siblings’ reports of differentiation x dyad biological sex x and age difference was significantly related to siblings reports of not being in the same main sport. Taken together, these results help enhance youth sport literature by pointing to reasons why siblings would or would not follow each other in their youth sport decisions. Further examination is needed to understand behaviors of modeling and differentiation in youth sport, specifically, how parents influence modeling and differentiation behaviors among siblings.

Assimilative behavioral strategies provide continuity through maintenance of similarities, traditions, and interactions, while accommodative strategies result in social innovation through the creation of new modes and interactive patterns (J. Block, 1982; J . H. Block, 1983). It was hypothesized that females would show assimilative discourse patterns through the maintenance of conversational topics, while males would show accommodative patterns through more frequent changes in conversational topic, and that the roots of this pattern lie in family conversation. Nineteen families were videotaped at one month, four months, and four years following the birth of their second child. Results showed that gender-differentiated use of assimilation and accommodation was more true for sibling dyads than for the parent-child relationship.

Adult siblings of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often on the front lines of supporting their brothers and sisters with IDD through caregiving and guardianship roles after their parents pass away. However, these siblings are often uninformed or under informed about ways that they can support their brothers and sisters. This study had the following three purposes: to determine what adult siblings of adults with IDD know about guardianship and its alternatives; to explore how adult siblings view guardianship and its alternatives; and to explore what adult siblings think about their role of being a guardian or supported decision maker for their brother/sister with IDD. Ten adult siblings who had brothers and sisters with IDD were interviewed; their interviews were analyzed using a combination of grounded theory and directed analysis. This study found that siblings had a limited knowledge of guardianship and its alternatives, viewed guardianship as necessary, and desired to be involved in future planning and decision making supports with their brother or sister in adulthood. These findings have several implications for future research, as well as for schools and disability service agencies. For example, siblings’ limited knowledge about guardianship and its alternatives highlights the need for schools, disability agencies, and other disability organizations to better inform families about the full range of options available to support people with IDD in making decisions. Likewise, as the sibling participants were concerned about their brother and sister’s decision-making abilities, there is a need for better training of people with IDD to be able to make and express their choices in a variety of situations. Finally, as this study had a small sample size and the participants’ were all White, future research with more diverse and larger sample sizes is needed.

Bakgrund: Internationellt diagnostiseras varje år 300 000 barn i åldrarna 0-19 år med cancer. När ett barn diagnostiseras med cancer påverkas hela familjen, inklusive det friska syskonet. Det är inte ovanligt att dessa hamnar i skymundan då större delen av fokuset riktas åt den sjuke. Som sjuksköterska är det därför angeläget att veta mer om det friska syskonets perspektiv vid barncancer. Ökad kunskap möjliggör utrymme till att inkludera det friska syskonet i vårdprocessen, samt för att kunna ge den stöttning och information som önskas. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva hur ett barn upplever att det är att leva i en familj där ett syskon har fått en cancerdiagnos. Metod: Litteraturöversikt där 17 vetenskapliga artiklar, både kvalitativa och kvantitativa, inkluderades efter att ha sökts fram via databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Artiklarna var skrivna på engelska och publicerade mellan åren 2010-2020. Dataanalysen gjordes med hjälp av Kristenssons (2014) integrerade analys. Resultat: Resultatet visade att syskon som hade en bror eller syster med cancer upplevde stora förändringar i livstillvaron både emotionellt, psykiskt och socialt. Detta inkluderade både positiva samt negativa förändringar. Faktorer som syskon upplevde var till hjälp för deras välbefinnande var att känna delaktighet, att få kontakt med andra som var eller varit med om en liknande situation, få anpassad information samt uppmärksamma positiva händelser för att hitta möjligheter till att ha roligt. Slutsats: Att vara syskon till en bror eller syster med cancer medför förändringar och väcker många blandade känslor. Den nya tillvaron påverkar på olika sätt familjesituationen, skolan samt andra relationer. Vårdpersonal, föräldrar och andra yrkesverksamma som möter och arbetar med dessa syskon kan stötta dem genom att via uppmärksamhet och frågor visa intresse för det friska syskonets välmående och inte enbart ha fokus på den sjuke. / Background: Internationally every year 300 000 children 0-19 years get diagnosed with cancer. When a child is diagnosed, the whole family, including the healthy sibling, is affected. It is not uncommon for these siblings to end up in the shadows as most of the focus is on the diagnosed child. As a nurse it is therefore important to know more about the sibling´s perspective during childhood cancer. Increased knowledge enables space to include the healthy sibling in the care process, as well as to be able to provide the support and information that is desired. Aim: The aim was to describe child’s experiences of having a sibling with cancer. Method: Literature review where 17 scientific articles, both qualitative and quantitative, were included after being searched in the databases PubMed and CINAHL. The articles were written in English and published between the years 2010-2020. The data analysis was conducted with Kristensson's (2014) integrated analysis. Results: The results showed that siblings who had a brother or sister with cancer experienced major changes in life both emotionally, mentally and socially. This included both positive and negative changes. Factors that siblings experienced were helpful for their well-being were to feel involved, to get in touch with others who were or had been in a similar situation, to receive adapted information and to pay attention to positive events and find opportunities to have fun. Conclusions: Being a sibling of a brother or sister with cancer brings changes and evokes many mixed feelings. The new life affects the family situation, the school and other relationships in different ways. Healthcare professionals, parents and other professionals who meet and work with these siblings can support them by showing interest in the healthy sibling's wellbeing through attention and questions and not just focusing on the diagnosed child.

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