Adjustment of children who have a sibling with Down syndrome: perspectives of mothers, fathers and children.
A Down-syndrome sibling does not spell worse adjustment—check family routines, not the label.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team talked to kids, moms, and dads in two groups. One group had a child with Down syndrome. The other group had only typically developing kids.
They asked about feelings, friends, and school. They wanted to see if the brothers and sisters of kids with Down syndrome felt different.
What they found
The siblings looked the same on every measure. No more sadness. No more behavior problems. No fewer friends.
The Down-syndrome label alone did not predict trouble. Family life mattered more than the diagnosis.
How this fits with other research
Bhaumik et al. (2008) asked parents the same question. Parents saw both burdens and benefits. The kids themselves, in Galuska et al. (2006), did not feel worse. The views differ by who you ask.
Alon (2024) followed the brothers and sisters into early adulthood. Optimism and support predicted warm feelings. The 2006 null finding still holds, but personal traits shape long-term closeness.
Faso et al. (2016) tracked the same pairs for years. Conflict dropped and closeness grew, especially when siblings shared care. The 2006 snapshot missed this slow upward curve.
Why it matters
Stop warning families that a Down-syndrome diagnosis will harm the other kids. Screen for stressors like money, marriage strain, or limited respite instead. Build optimism and shared caregiving routines. These moves help siblings stay close for life.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: A number of methodological weaknesses have contributed to our relatively poor understanding of the impact on children of having a brother or sister with a disability. These include a focus on poor adjustment, using multidiagnostic groups, inadequate matching, and a failure to consider the perspectives of children and parents together. METHOD: This study compared the adjustment of 53 siblings of a child with Down syndrome with a comparison group of siblings of children who were developing typically. Children were matched on a case-by-case basis for gender, age and position in family. Families were matched for family size and father's occupation. The age range of the target siblings was 7-14 years. Data were gathered from mothers, fathers and siblings. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups on adjustment measures. These included parent perceptions of externalizing and internalizing behaviours, parent perceptions of sibling competence, and sibling perceptions of their own competence and self-worth. Associations between measures of adjustment and child reports of their contribution to household functioning depended on sex rather than group membership. There was an association between parental reports of externalizing behaviour and sibling relationships with the brother/sister closest in age. CONCLUSIONS: Having a brother or sister with Down syndrome does not inevitably lead to poor adjustment. Examination of within-family processes would appear to be more useful in identifying children at risk than merely group membership.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2006 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2006.00922.x