SIBLING ADAPTATION TO CHILDHOOD-CANCER COLLABORATIVE STUDY - PREVALENCE OF SIBLING DISTRESS AND DEFINITION OF ADAPTION LEVELS

A multisite collaborative study assessed the frequency and intensity o f emotional/behavioral distress in siblings of children with cancer. A sample of 254 siblings, aged 4 to 18 years, and their parents complet ed interviews and self-report measures 6 to 42 (average 22.5) months a fter diagnosis of cancer in a brother or sister. Matched controls were obtained from respondents to the Child Health Supplement of the Natio nal Health interview Survey administered in 1988 (CHS88). Before diagn osis, the prevalence of parent-reported emotional/behavioral problems among siblings was similar to that in the general population (7.7% vs 6.3%; p = not significant). After diagnosis, prevalence rose to 18% am ong siblings. When siblings were grouped according to the presence or absence of problems exacerbated by and/or arising after diagnosis, fou r levels of adaptation, consistent with scores on the Behavior Problem Scales from the CHS88, emerged. This differentiation may help explain inconsistencies in sibling response reported previously and provides a framework for investigation factors that enhance adaptation.