Predictors of Sibling Cooperation and Externalizing in Families Raising Children with Disabilities

Platt, Christine R.

Wednesday, 24 July 2013: 3:30 PM

Christine R. Platt, RN, CCRN¹
Susanne Olsen Roper, PhD²
Barbara L. Mandleco, PhD, RN¹
Donna Freeborn, APRN, PhD¹
Tina Dyches, PhD³
(1)College of Nursing, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
(2)School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
(3)Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Learning Objective 1: Understand the relationship between caregiver burden, parenting style, and sibling relationship to typically-developing sibling outcomes in families raising a child with a disability.

Learning Objective 2: Understand that a positive sibling relationship may help negate caregiver burden and poor parenting practices as they relate to sibling outcomes.

Purpose: To examine whether caregiver burden, parenting style, and sibling relationship in families raising a child with a disability (CWD) predict cooperation and externalizing behaviors of the typically-developing sibling (TDS). Raising a CWD is challenging, leading to increased caregiver burden. As caregiver burden increases, a TDS may have poorer outcomes. Therefore, we examine parenting style and sibling relationship to determine if either is associated with decreased caregiver burden and/or more positive sibling outcomes.

Methods: This correlational study included 189 families raising a CWD and a TDS. Mothers and fathers completed self-report questionnaires on caregiver burden, sibling relationship, parenting style, and TDS externalizing and cooperation behaviors. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, correlations, and regressions were calculated.

Results: Hierarchical regression revealed caregiver burden was a significant predictor of cooperation and externalizing behaviors. However, when parenting style was included as a predictor, it was significant, but caregiver burden often was not. Authoritative parenting was associated with cooperative behaviors, whereas authoritarian parenting was associated with externalizing behaviors. When sibling relationship was added as a predictor, it was the only significant predictor of cooperation and externalizing behaviors; both caregiver burden and parenting style become statistically insignificant.

Conclusion: Authoritative parenting has positive effects on positive sibling behaviors while authoritarian parenting has negative effects on siblings in families raising a CWD. However, a positive sibling relationship may help negate caregiver burden and poor parenting practices as they relate to sibling outcomes. Therefore, sibling relationships should be considered in interventions supporting families raising a CWD.

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