Subjective Poverty Moderates the Association Between Carer Status and Psychological Outcomes of Adult Siblings of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions. Convenience sample recruited through a sibling charity, likely over-representing those already engaged with support services. Sample was predominantly White British, female, and well-educated, limiting generalizability. Self-report data with no diagnostic verification for the participants or their siblings. Binary definition of caregiving may not capture the intensity or nature of the role. Attrition occurred, particularly among those unwilling to answer income-related questions, which may bias results regarding poverty.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Sibs. The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.

Do not assume that being a carer is the main cause of distress for all siblings. The study found that financial hardship was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes overall. The negative impact of caring was only significant for siblings who were already financially secure; for those struggling with poverty, the financial stress itself was the dominant risk factor regardless of caring status.