Psychosocial Problems Among Siblings of Children with Disabilities in Japan: Psychosocial Association Between Mothers and Siblings

We conducted a questionnaire survey to evaluate the psychosocial condition of siblings of children with disabilities in Japan. The participants were 50 siblings (aged 5–12, male = 42.0%) of children with disabilities and their parents as well as a control group consisting of 128 elementary school pupils (aged 6–12, male = 57.4%) and their parents. The proportion of mothers of children with disabilities suffering from a minor psychiatric illness and the proportion of corresponding siblings with psychosocial problems were significantly higher in the test group than in the control group, and a multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that mothers suffering from a minor psychiatric illness were significantly associated with siblings with psychosocial problems among families of children with disabilities. We discuss the psychosocial problems of siblings of children with disabilities.