ERIC Number: ED584445
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 225
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-3558-3301-0
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
It's Different: Perceptions of Risk and Resilience in Older Siblings of Children with Disabilities
Reimers, Bradley Hugh
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Northern Colorado
The entry of a child with a disability into the family system can contribute to unique challenges, and potentially, joys for their families. Designed from a psychological resilience framework, this post-intentional phenomenological study specifically focused on the process of adaptation for five older siblings who had a younger sibling with an intellectual disability. To understand their perspectives about what their experiences had entailed, each adolescent participant wrote a daily check-in journal and completed both a photo-elicitation interview and a semi-structured interview. The results of this study indicated that adolescent older siblings adjusted to having a sibling with a disability by engaging in protective processes at the individual and familial levels. While participants described facing significant sources of stress, they also perceived that they had benefited because of their sibling relationship. While this study detailed how older siblings can adapt to having a sibling with a disability, additional research is needed to further understand the sources of risk and resilience these older siblings can encounter. Findings from this study might be applied by parents, families, and professionals to promote resilience processes for these older siblings. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Risk, Resilience (Psychology), Birth Order, Siblings, Intellectual Disability, Phenomenology, Adolescents, Adjustment (to Environment), Sibling Relationship, Stress Variables, Coping, Journal Writing, Photography, Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A