Parental perceptions of risk and protective factors associated with the adaptation of siblings of children with cystic fibrosis

hen a child is diag-nosed with a chronic,life-threatening illness,there is a significantimpact on the entire family. Well sib-lings are at risk for psychologicaladaptation problems because of theirunique relationship with the ill childand the effect of the chronic illnesson family functioning (Bluebond-Langner, 1996; Fanos & Wiener, 1994;Fleitas, 2000; Heiney, Goon-Johnson,Ettinger, & Ettinger, 1990; Mellins E Murray, 1998;Spinetta, 1981; Van Riper, 1999). Todate, the majority of studies concern-ing the consequences of a child’schronic, life-threatening illness onthe family focus on childhood cancer(Clarke-Steffen, 1993; Havermans E Kupst et al., 1995; VanDongen-Melman et al., 1995). Therepercussion of chronic, life-threaten-ing illness with a known genetic basis,such as cystic fibrosis, has seldombeen described. The purpose of thisstudy was to investigate the predis-posing risk and protective factors