| Popis: |
Chronic illnesses affect the sick-child’s entire family, including his or her siblings. Research has revealed illness parameters and well-sibling demographic factors that may impact the psychosocial adjustment of well-siblings. The present study examined well-sibling age and gender, illness severity, and time since diagnosis to predict well-sibling quality of life. Coping was used to predict well-sibling adjustment after controlling for significant demographic or illness parameters that were predictors of well-sibling adjustment. Types of coping examined included approach and avoidance coping styles, total number of coping strategies, and a relative coping ratio of avoidance coping styles. Potential differences in well-sibling adjustment according to informant were also examined, including parent-report and self-report. Participants included 43 well-siblings of children with cystic fibrosis, aged 7 to 19 years, who presented in a children’s hospital’s cystic fibrosis clinic. Well-siblings completed assessments quality of life and strategies for coping with cystic fibrosis. Parents completed demographic questionnaires and quality of life assessments for both the sick-child and the well-sibling. Results found that well-sibling age and total number of coping strategies used were significant predictors of adjustment. Well-sibling adjustment as measured by quality of life was more impaired than previous studies found that examined psychopathology, and well-sibling self-report was significantly more impaired than parent-report of adjustment. These data emphasize the importance of obtaining quality of life ratings directly from the well-sibling rather than relying on parental report. Future research should incorporate measures of well-siblings’ knowledge of the illness and well-siblings’ ratings of severity of the illness. Additionally, future intervention studies should seek to incorporate coping curriculum to help improve well-sibling adjustment. |
