Communication quality between parents and siblings of children with chronic disorders

This study examines parent-sibling communication during a manual-based group intervention (SIBS) that aims to improve communication quality and well-being for siblings of children with a chronic disorder diagnosis.

Audio recordings and transcripts of 20 parent-sibling conversations were analyzed using the manual-based tool Verona Coding Definition of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES). We measured siblings' negative expressions and parental responses, focusing on how parents applied the SIBS target behaviours of listening, exploring and validating responses.

Siblings raised topics such as heritability of the chronic disorder, differential treatment, and instances of violence and temper tantrums. Siblings' negative expressions were 53 % cues (implicit expressions) and 47 % concerns (explicit expressions). Parents provided space in 74 % of the responses to cues and concerns, meaning they gave space for further disclosure. Within these responses, parents applied the SIBS target behaviours, including exploration (59 %), validation (33 %), and listening (8 %).

Parents mainly provided space and used a warm tone when responding to siblings in the SIBS sessions. Responses included a higher proportion of validation responses and a lower proportion of listening responses compared with previous studies.

Parents and siblings of children with chronic disorders face unique challenges that can negatively impact the quality of parent-sibling communication and psychological adjustment in siblings. This study contributes new insight into how parents and siblings communicate in an intervention setting, and how characteristics of the intervention may influence the quality of this communication.