Av. Horwitz, PREDICTORS OF ADULT SIBLING SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE SERIOUSLY MENTALLY-ILL - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY, Journal of family issues, 15(2), 1994, pp. 272-289
Little research examines the reasons adult siblings might provide soci
al support to unmarried, dependent brothers and sisters. This article
examines how obligation, reciprocity, and the quality of personal rela
tionships affect whether siblings provide social support to the seriou
sly mentally ill. It uses a sample of 108 siblings of 85 participants
in a treatment program for the seriously mentally ill to examine the f
actors that predict several aspects of help provision. Reciprocity is
an important predictor of reported and projected support: The more hel
p respondent siblings receive from ill siblings, the more willingness
to help they show in return. The availability of parental and other si
bling caregivers is also associated with reported help from siblings.
Neither norms of family obligation nor relational quality are highly c
orrelated with support. The results indicate that professionals should
take into account the potential importance of siblings as providers o
f social support to the seriously mentally ill and encourage their cli
ents to develop reciprocal interactions with their brothers and sister
s.