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Correlates of Sibling Relationship Quality and Caregiving Reception of Adults with Disabilities

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Abstract

Siblings of individuals with disabilities report close relationships with and a greater likelihood of caregiving for their brothers and sisters with disabilities. However, most research has only relied on siblings without disabilities excluding individuals with disabilities. In this study, we sought to determine the correlates of close sibling relationships and the likelihood of caregiving as reported by individuals with disabilities. To this end, 106 individuals with disabilities responded to a web-based survey. With respect to the sibling relationship, participants who contacted their siblings more frequently and did not have mental health diagnoses were more likely to report closer sibling relationships. Regarding caregiving, participants who were in greater contact with their siblings, had fathers in excellent or good health, were male, and had more siblings were more likely to receive caregiving from their siblings. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1310 S. 6th Street, 288 Education building, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Meghan M. Burke & Chung Eun Lee

  2. Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL, 60608, USA

    Catherine K. Arnold & Aleksa Owen

Authors
  1. Meghan M. Burke
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  2. Chung Eun Lee
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  3. Catherine K. Arnold
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  4. Aleksa Owen
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Correspondence to Meghan M. Burke.

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Funding

Funding for this grant was received by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council and the North Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council. However, the manuscript solely reflects the opinions of the authors and not the funding agencies.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

All of the authors (i.e., Meghan Burke, Chung eun Lee, Catherine Arnold and Aleksa Owen) declare no conflict of interest.

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Burke, M.M., Lee, C.E., Arnold, C.K. et al. Correlates of Sibling Relationship Quality and Caregiving Reception of Adults with Disabilities. J Dev Phys Disabil 28, 735–750 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-016-9505-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-016-9505-1

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