Siblings of individuals with Smith-Magenis syndrome: an investigation of the correlates of positive and negative behavioural traits.
Brothers and sisters of kids with Smith-Magenis syndrome usually do fine, especially when they see the relationship as a plus.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked brothers and sisters of kids with Smith-Magenis syndrome to fill out surveys. Parents also answered questions about each sibling.
They wanted to know which brothers and sisters show more helpful, happy traits and fewer angry, sad ones.
What they found
Older siblings and kids who saw good things in the relationship scored better on both sides of the page. They showed more kindness and less acting out.
Both the siblings’ own answers and the parents’ answers told the same story.
How this fits with other research
Hilton et al. (2010) worked with a wider group of kids with intellectual disability. They also found that problem behavior, not the label, shapes how siblings feel. The new SMS study repeats that idea with a rare-diagnosis group.
Wilkinson et al. (1998) and van den Broek et al. (2006) first mapped the tough behaviors seen in SMS: nail-yanking, self-hugs, little sleep. Knowing this baseline helps explain why some siblings still thrive; the problems are clear but not the whole story.
Matson et al. (2008) showed these behaviors often run on adult attention. Older siblings, who give less one-to-one attention, may face fewer triggers, matching the new finding that older sibs report calmer traits.
Why it matters
When you coach families, spotlight the sibling bond. Teach parents to notice and praise any kind act from the brother or sister. Ask older sibs to lead short play sessions with clear start and stop cues. These small steps build the “good things” feeling that links to fewer behavior problems for everyone in the house.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately one out of 25,000 births worldwide. To date, no research has been conducted to investigate how having an individual with SMS in a family is a positive or negative influence on siblings. METHODS: To investigate this question we conducted a study involving 79 siblings and 60 parents of individuals with SMS to assess perceptions of how having a sibling with SMS positively and negative influence siblings' behavioural traits. RESULTS: Our findings show that age of siblings of individuals with SMS was associated with a significant increase in positive behavioural traits and a significant decrease in negative behavioural traits. Additionally, siblings who perceive benefits from having a sibling with SMS demonstrate significantly more positive behavioural traits and significantly fewer negative behavioural traits. Parents accurately assess the changes in sibling behavioural traits with age, and parents who perceive their child as having experienced benefits from the sibling relationship report that siblings demonstrate significantly more positive behavioural traits and significantly fewer negative behavioural traits. CONCLUSIONS: Our research shows that although individuals experience difficulties as a result of having a sibling with SMS, overall, siblings tend to fare well and parents appreciate both the positive and negative behavioural effects that result from having a sibling with SMS.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2012 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01581.x