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Siblings of disabled children: birth order and age-spacing effects

N Breslau

    Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
    |March 1, 1982
    PubMed

    Insights

    Younger male siblings of disabled children, especially those closely spaced in age, show higher psychological impairment. Female siblings, however, appear better off, suggesting sex-contingent responses to early life experiences.

    Area of Science:

    • Psychology
    • Developmental Psychology
    • Family Studies

    Background:

    • Siblings of children with disabilities experience unique early family environments.
    • Birth order and age-spacing are key factors differentiating sibling experiences.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the influence of early family environment on psychological functioning in siblings of disabled children.
    • To examine the role of birth order and age-spacing in sibling psychological outcomes.

    Main Methods:

    • Comparative study design.
    • Inclusion of 327 siblings of disabled children and 248 control siblings.
    • Analysis of psychological functioning based on relative birth order and age-spacing.

    Main Results:

    • Younger male siblings, particularly those closely spaced in age to a disabled child, exhibited higher psychological impairment compared to older male siblings.
    • No similar negative impact was observed in female siblings; younger females were psychologically better off than older females.
    • Age-spacing did not significantly correlate with psychological functioning in female siblings.

    Conclusions:

    • The psychological impact of growing up with a disabled sibling is sex-contingent.
    • Male siblings may exhibit interpersonal aggression, while female siblings may experience depressive-anxious feelings.
    • Early life experiences in families with a disabled child have differential effects on male and female siblings' psychological development.

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