Self-reported experiences of siblings of children with life-threatening conditions: A scoping review.
Joanne Tay, Kimberley Widger, Robyn Stremler
PMID 34116616WHAT IT FOUND
Siblings of children with life-threatening conditions often described feeling overlooked, anxious, lonely and disrupted in family routines and school, while some reported closer bonds and coping through distraction, information seeking and protecting the family.
Key findings
01The review included 34 studies, most cross-sectional and focused on siblings of children with cancer.
02Siblings reported disrupted family routines, feeling overlooked by parents, and changed relationships with the ill child, including both closeness and difficulty.
03Siblings described school and psychological strain, including bullying, poor concentration, anxiety, and keeping feelings hidden to protect parents, while using coping strategies such as distraction and seeking illness information.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not assess the quality of the 34 included studies, so it is unclear how reliable individual studies were. Most studies were cross-sectional, so they show siblings' experience at one time point but not how it changes over time. Most studies focused on siblings of children with cancer (70%), and only 10 of 34 explored non-cancer diagnoses, so findings may not generalise to all life-threatening conditions. No study compared siblings by the ill child's diagnosis, so it is not clear whether experiences differ between cancer and non-cancer conditions. Many studies did not report how long after diagnosis data were collected; where reported, timing ranged from 1 to 14 years. Only five studies used a theoretical framework, and psychological measures varied. This makes comparison across studies difficult. Some studies may have been missed if siblings were included in broader family research.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the suggested supports, such as including siblings in family meetings or assessing anxiety, as proven ways to improve sibling well-being. This review mapped self-reported experiences and did not test interventions.