Siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities frequently assume central emotional and caregiving roles within their families, often facing ongoing and unique stressors. This quantitative study assessed perceived psychosocial stress among 465 emerging adult siblings (aged 18–28) of individuals diagnosed with autism, Down Syndrome (DS), or cerebral palsy (CP), focusing on the gender of the typically developing sibling, type of diagnosis, and religious-cultural sector. Within the Jewish-Israeli population, three main religious-cultural sectors—secular, religious-national, and ultra-Orthodox—differ in their engagement with broader society and adherence to traditional lifestyles. Results indicated significant main effects for all variables: Brothers reported higher stress than sisters, and siblings of individuals with autism or CP experienced greater stress than those with siblings with DS. Religious-cultural sector further interacted with stress: ultra-Orthodox siblings of individuals with autism reported the highest stress, while secular siblings of individuals with CP also exhibited elevated stress. Secular brothers reported higher stress than sisters, while gender differences were not evident in the religious-national or ultra-Orthodox groups. These findings emphasize the need for culturally and religiosity-sensitive interventions that address gender norms and the distinct challenges of various developmental disabilities, to support and improve the well-being and adaptive functioning of siblings during emerging adulthood.
Raaya Alon (Mon,) studied this question.
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