Multifaceted Support Interventions for Siblings of Children With Cancer: A Systematic Review

When a child is given a diagnosis of cancer, the impact reverberates through the family unit. Siblings, in particular, experience an accumulation of distress. Siblings of children with cancer can experience both short- and long-term difficulties in psychosocial and physical functioning, and professional bodies have called for interventions targeted at their needs.

The aim of this study was to describe outcomes, core components, and general characteristics of effective interventions intended to support sibling well-being and psychosocial health in pediatric oncology.

MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched in September 2019 and July 2020. Studies were included if they focused on interventions for siblings or family in pediatric cancer, had quantitative data to describe the effect or impact of the intervention, and were published in English. Included studies underwent quality appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis.

Twenty articles fit inclusion criteria. Most interventions focused on 6- to 18-year-old siblings within a group setting. Most were theory based. Group format with multiple sessions was the most common approach. The most frequently assessed outcomes were depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and health-related quality of life.

Understanding outcomes, core components, and characteristics of effective interventions is important to translate sibling-support interventions into standard practice. Such considerations are important in delivering equitable family-centered care to siblings of children with cancer.

As institutions create mechanisms to support siblings, it may be important to target high-risk siblings initially, partner with community resources, attend to underrecognized populations of siblings, and more fully incorporate family into sibling support.