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CHRONIC ILLNESS: PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS ON SIBLINGS—I. CHRONICALLY ILL BOYS
Author(s) -
Ferrari Michael
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1984.tb00164.x
Subject(s) - psychosocial , psychology , sibling , intervention (counseling) , developmental psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology
Summary Focusing on the adjustment of the siblings of three groups of male children; with pervasive developmental disability, diabetes and no known chronic illness, the present study failed to support the view that siblings of ill children are uniformly at greater risk for psychosocial impairment. However, several domains were identified in which siblings as well as parents of ill children were more susceptible to adjustment problems, though ‘risk’ seemed to relate more closely to illness‐specific variables than the presence or absence of illness. Several sex differences were found suggesting that same‐sexed siblings may be more vulnerable to maladjustment than opposite‐sexed pairs. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for investigation and intervention for families with an ill member.