Maternal perceptions of sibling adaptation in Korean families of children with Down syndrome.
Family hardiness and parent teamwork predict sibling well-being better than the child’s Down-syndrome traits.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers asked 105 Korean moms how their other kids were coping. Each mom had one child with Down syndrome and at least one typical brother or sister. The team used a paper survey.
They wanted to know which things predict good sibling adaptation. They tested family hardiness, how well parents get along, and outside support. They did not test the child’s IQ or age.
What they found
Moms said family strength mattered most. When parents backed each other up and felt hardy, siblings did better. Social support helped too.
The child’s Down-syndrome traits did not predict sibling mood or behavior. Family-level factors beat child-level factors.
How this fits with other research
Giallo et al. (2006) saw the same pattern in Australian families with mixed disabilities. Parent stress and routines shaped sibling adjustment more than the sibling’s own coping skills.
Alon (2025) later added a new twist. In adults, a strong sense of coherence buffered emotions. Both studies keep the spotlight on family-level traits, not child traits.
Williams et al. (2010) looked at preschool autism siblings and found the opposite link. High mom stress predicted more sibling problems. The difference is age and diagnosis. Younger autism siblings plus high stress equals trouble, while school-age Down-syndrome siblings thrive when family hardiness is high.
Why it matters
You can’t change a child’s diagnosis, but you can boost family hardiness. Offer parent-training nights that teach couples to support each other. Add quick social-support check-ins at IEP meetings. When mom and dad feel strong, the whole sibling set benefits.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: It is estimated that more than 500 infants with Down syndrome (DS) are born each year in Korea. DS affects not only these individuals, but family members as well. Some siblings deal successfully with the challenges of living with a child with DS and adapt well while others struggle or fail to adapt. The aims of this descriptive study were to explore how Korean mothers of children with DS perceive the adaptation of their typically developing (TD) children aged 4 to 19 and how family variables contribute to sibling adaptation. METHOD: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 105 Korean mothers. RESULTS: Most mothers indicated that their TD children were not experiencing psychological or behavioural problems; however, many described problems in the sibling relationship. It was found that family factors (i.e. condition management effort, condition management ability, child's daily life, parental mutuality, family hardiness and social support) were strong predictors of sibling psychological, behavioural and relational adaptation. Demographic characteristics of the child with DS, the mother and the family appeared to significantly influence sibling adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of familial contexts in understanding sibling adaptation. Knowledge of family factors associated with better adaptation in Korean siblings of child with DS will facilitate the development of culturally appropriate interventions for these children and their families. In addition, an awareness of demographic characteristics associated with sibling adaptation will help health care professionals identify siblings who are at increased risk of experiencing difficulties in adapting.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2014 · doi:10.1111/jir.12126