‘His life meant something’: Disenfranchised grief among siblings of people with disabilities

The sibling relationship is typically the longest family bond, yet the literature on sibling loss is small, especially when the sibling has a disability. This qualitative study interviewed forty-five adults who experienced the loss of a brother or sister with a disability. Interviews were transcribed and coded by a team of researchers and then meta-coding was used to identify the content related to disenfranchised grief. Results indicate that siblings experienced all six types of disenfranchised grief found in the literature including relationships, losses, grievers, circumstances of death, ways of grieving, and self-disenfranchisement. The study has practice implications for grief support for siblings and for other populations that experience disenfranchised grief.