Quality of Sibling Relationships When One Child Has ASD: Parent-Child Agreement and Contributions of the Affected Vs. Unaffected Child

Background: Research suggests that the quality of the sibling relationship is impacted, both positively and negatively, when one sibling has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  While there is general agreement between parents and unaffected siblings regarding the quality of the sibling relationship, there is some evidence that unaffected siblings view the relationship more positively than do their parents (Rivers and Stoneman, 2003; Diener et al., 2015).  However, the specific domains in which parents and siblings may differ have not previously been investigated.  Furthermore, little research has examined the behaviors of affected vs. unaffected siblings that may differentially impact the sibling relationship.

Objectives: 1) To evaluate agreement between parents and unaffected siblings regarding the quality of the sibling relationship when one sibling has ASD.  2) To examine differences in the behaviors of affected vs. unaffected siblings within the context of the sibling relationship.

Methods: The Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ; Slomkowski et al., 2001) was administered to parents (N=32) and siblings (N=22) of children with ASD to evaluate the quality of the sibling relationship.  The SRQ asks about the unaffected child’s behaviors toward the affected child, as well as the affected child’s behaviors toward the unaffected child, in both positive and negative domains.

Results: Responses of parents and unaffected siblings on the SRQ were positively correlated, suggesting general agreement in their ratings of sibling relationship quality.  Likewise, there were few significant differences between parent and child ratings.  The only exception was with regard to hitting behavior, in which children reported more hitting directed at them by their sibling with ASD than parents reported (p=.004).  Both parents and children rated the unaffected child as demonstrating more positive behaviors within the sibling relationship than the affected child (parents: p=.002; children: p=.08). Specific positive behaviors exhibited by unaffected siblings tended to fall in the domains of providing help and support to the sibling with ASD. While overall negative behaviors did not differ between affected and unaffected siblings, unaffected siblings reported a trend toward being hit by their sibling with ASD more frequently than they themselves hit their sibling (p=.09).

Conclusions: Unaffected siblings exhibit more positive behaviors within the sibling relationship than do their siblings with ASD, largely in domains pertaining to help and support.  This is consistent with prior literature suggesting that unaffected siblings often take on a caretaker role toward their sibling with ASD (Benderix & Sivberg, 2007; Angell et al., 2012; Diener et al 2015).  Parents and siblings of children with ASD generally agree about the quality of the sibling relationship; however, there may be critical areas (e.g. aggression) in which siblings are perceiving challenges of which parents are not aware.  Prior literature has suggested that aggression is a significant stressor for unaffected siblings (Ross & Cuskell, 2006), often causing siblings to feel unsafe (Benderix & Sivberg, 2007).  This is an important target area of intervention, particularly if parents are unaware of the extent to which aggression is being directed at the unaffected sibling.