AGING WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC DISABILITIES - PERCEPTIONS OF SIBLING INVOLVEMENT AND EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING

The functional and affective relationships characterizing disabled and nondisabled children were described by 838 aging mothers of children with chronic disabilities. Mothers indicated that their nondisabled of fspring provided very little functional assistance to their siblings w ith chronic disabilities, but that affective relationships between sib lings were characterized by strong, close ties. Predictors of the affe ctive relationship between siblings, functional assistance provided by nondisabled siblings to their siblings with disability, and the likel ihood that a nondisabled child would be a future caregiver to the chil d with a disability were examined. Implications for practice are discu ssed.