SIBLING ADAPTATION TO CHILDHOOD-CANCER COLLABORATIVE STUDY - PARENTALVIEWS OF PREDIAGNOSIS AND POSTDIAGNOSIS ADJUSTMENT OF SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER

In open-ended interviews, parents of 254 siblings of children with can cer evaluated the pre- and postdiagnosis adjustment of their children. One-fourth of the siblings were asymptomatic both before and after th e diagnosis. Behavior and emotional problems were the most frequently reported problems arising after the diagnosis. Before the diagnosis, l ess than 12 percent of the siblings had either behavioral or affective symptoms, whereas 26 percent had such symptoms after the diagnosis. T ype of maladjustment was unrelated to sex, birth order, or severity of the patient's illness. On the positive side, parents also reported fa vorable changes because of the illness in siblings' maturity, supporti veness, and independence. These positive effects were more likely to o ccur among adolescent and first-born siblings and when the patient's p rognosis was poorer.