The Relationship between Family and Sibling Functioning in Families Raising a Child with a Disability

Keywords

siblings, family functioning, disability, social skills

Abstract

Although considerable research exists concerning families raising children with disabilities, relatively little work has examined the linkages between parent and sibling functioning. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the relationship between parental perceptions of family functioning and school-aged siblings’ social skills and problem behaviors. A purposive sample of 78 sets of parents and their school-aged children participated. Half of the families were raising a child with a disability, and half of the families were not raising a child with a disability. Mothers and fathers completed the Porter-O’Leary Scale and Bloom’s Family Functioning Measure. Teachers of the school-aged children completed a modification of the Gresham and Elliot Social Skills Rating System. Results indicated siblings of both groups demonstrate more social skills than problem behaviors, and siblings of children with disabilities were higher in cooperation and self-control than siblings of children without disabilities. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed fathers’ perceptions of family conflict and external locus of control orientation, and mothers’ perceptions of marital conflict predicted externalizing behaviors for female siblings of children with a disability.

Original Publication Citation

Mandleco, B., Olsen, S. F., Marshall, E., & Dyches, T. (2003). The relationship between family and sibling functioning in families raising a child with a disability. Journal of Family Nursing, 9(4), 365-396. https://doi.org/10.1177/1074840703258329

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2003

Publisher

Sage Publications

Language

English

College

David O. McKay School of Education

Department

Counseling Psychology and Special Education

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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