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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

siblings, Down syndrome, disability

College

Nursing

Abstract

Approximately 350,000 families in the United States are affected by Down syndrome, and the vast majority of these families include one or more nondisabled children (National Down Syndrome Society, 1999). Because of this, many researchers are interested in how this disability affects the family. Marsha Van Riper (1999) writes, “…While the birth of a child with Down syndrome involves a ‘change of plans’ for families, it does not have to be a negative experience. In fact for many families, it is a positive, growth producing experience” (p. 3). While much research in the past concerned interviewing parents of children with Down syndrome, current research is beginning to turn to siblings of children with Down syndrome to try and understand how the disability effects them. “It would be unrealistic, given the importance of the sibling relationship, to presume that having a disabled sibling would not exert a profound effect on the psychological well-being of other siblings in the family” (Wolf, Fisman, Ellison, & Freeman, 1998, p. 1317).

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