Abstract

A cross-national sample of 130 siblings of persons with serious mental illness (68 U.S. and 62 Japanese respondents) was analyzed to examine the role of social support in their mental illness-related negative experiences. In order to understand the phenomenon from a resilience perspective, Kohut’s (1984) self psychology was applied and social support was defined as selfobject. Findings suggested that social support defined by selfobject moderates the association between mental illness and negative experiences, but only the developmental aspect of the impact and only for U.S. siblings. Implications for research and practice are discussed.