Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities
IntroductionWhen a child has a disability, their families face significant challenges that also impact parents’ and siblings’ mental health and adjustment. We examined the potential bidirectional relationships between parental mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment in families of chi...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1501343/full |
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| author | Erica Zahl Hugo Cogo-Moreira Trude Fredriksen Solveig Kirchhofer Solveig Kirchhofer Stian Orm Stian Orm Torun Vatne Torun Vatne Matteo Botta Krister Fjermestad Krister Fjermestad |
| author_facet | Erica Zahl Hugo Cogo-Moreira Trude Fredriksen Solveig Kirchhofer Solveig Kirchhofer Stian Orm Stian Orm Torun Vatne Torun Vatne Matteo Botta Krister Fjermestad Krister Fjermestad |
| author_sort | Erica Zahl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWhen a child has a disability, their families face significant challenges that also impact parents’ and siblings’ mental health and adjustment. We examined the potential bidirectional relationships between parental mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment in families of children with a disability.MethodsWe utilized baseline and 12-month follow-up data from a randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention designed to enhance parent-sibling communication in families of children with a disability. The sample comprised 214 siblings aged 8–16 years and their parents (N = 203 mothers, N = 124 fathers). We estimated bivariate latent change score models to examine the longitudinal cross-domain associations between changes in parental mental health and changes in sibling mental health, and changes in parental mental health and sibling adjustment.ResultsThe results showed that changes in maternal mental health and sibling adjustment over the 12-month period were correlated (r = 0.22). The cross-domain associations between changes in maternal mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment were not statistically significant in any of the two models. However, baseline sibling mental health had nearly doubled impact on changes in maternal mental health (Β = 0.232, p = 0.061) compared to maternal health’s impact on sibling mental health (Β = −0.134, p = 0.289). Models with paternal mental health data unfortunately did not run due to low paternal response rate at 12-months.DiscussionThe findings suggest that whereas maternal mental health and sibling adjustment changes are correlated over time, the relationship between maternal and sibling measures does not necessarily operate bidirectionally. Future studies on family mental health dynamics should include data from fathers that may contribute to a broader understanding of these complex relationships. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-66d92fbdc2d84b2fb5d35e649159663b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-66d92fbdc2d84b2fb5d35e649159663b2025-08-20T02:00:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-12-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.15013431501343Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilitiesErica Zahl0Hugo Cogo-Moreira1Trude Fredriksen2Solveig Kirchhofer3Solveig Kirchhofer4Stian Orm5Stian Orm6Torun Vatne7Torun Vatne8Matteo Botta9Krister Fjermestad10Krister Fjermestad11Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayØstfold University College Faculty of Education, Fredrikstad, NorwayInnlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNic Waals Institute, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Lovisenberg Hospital Trust, Oslo, NorwayInnlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Lillehammer, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayFrambu Resource Centre for Rare Disorders, Siggerud, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayFrambu Resource Centre for Rare Disorders, Siggerud, NorwayIntroductionWhen a child has a disability, their families face significant challenges that also impact parents’ and siblings’ mental health and adjustment. We examined the potential bidirectional relationships between parental mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment in families of children with a disability.MethodsWe utilized baseline and 12-month follow-up data from a randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention designed to enhance parent-sibling communication in families of children with a disability. The sample comprised 214 siblings aged 8–16 years and their parents (N = 203 mothers, N = 124 fathers). We estimated bivariate latent change score models to examine the longitudinal cross-domain associations between changes in parental mental health and changes in sibling mental health, and changes in parental mental health and sibling adjustment.ResultsThe results showed that changes in maternal mental health and sibling adjustment over the 12-month period were correlated (r = 0.22). The cross-domain associations between changes in maternal mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment were not statistically significant in any of the two models. However, baseline sibling mental health had nearly doubled impact on changes in maternal mental health (Β = 0.232, p = 0.061) compared to maternal health’s impact on sibling mental health (Β = −0.134, p = 0.289). Models with paternal mental health data unfortunately did not run due to low paternal response rate at 12-months.DiscussionThe findings suggest that whereas maternal mental health and sibling adjustment changes are correlated over time, the relationship between maternal and sibling measures does not necessarily operate bidirectionally. Future studies on family mental health dynamics should include data from fathers that may contribute to a broader understanding of these complex relationships.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1501343/fulldisabilityparental mental healthsibling mental healthsibling adjustmentfamilial mental health dynamics |
| spellingShingle | Erica Zahl Hugo Cogo-Moreira Trude Fredriksen Solveig Kirchhofer Solveig Kirchhofer Stian Orm Stian Orm Torun Vatne Torun Vatne Matteo Botta Krister Fjermestad Krister Fjermestad Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities Frontiers in Psychology disability parental mental health sibling mental health sibling adjustment familial mental health dynamics |
| title | Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities |
| title_full | Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities |
| title_fullStr | Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities |
| title_short | Mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities |
| title_sort | mental health dynamics between mothers and siblings of children with disabilities |
| topic | disability parental mental health sibling mental health sibling adjustment familial mental health dynamics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1501343/full |
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