A community-based intervention for siblings and parents of children with chronic illness or disability: the ISEE study.

Objective: Siblings of children with chronic illness or disability have been reported to have a 1.6 to 2.0 risk for behavioral and mental health problems.

Interrelationships among variables affecting well siblings and mothers in families of children with a chronic illness or disability.

A structural equation model (SEM) examined interrelationships among psychosocial variables known to affect the health and development of well siblings and parents when a child with a chronic illness or disability is a member of the family. Using dyads of 252 well children and parents, socioeconomic status (SES) and family cohesion were associated with the parent-reported behavior of the well sibling. SES also influenced the mood of the mother that in turn influenced family cohesion.