The Sibling Disability Experience: An Analysis of Studies Concerning Non-Impaired Siblings of Individuals with Disabilities from 1960 to 1990

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine early sociological research on the experience of non-impaired siblings in families of children with disabilities for evidence of an approach consistent with aspects of the social model of disability.

Methodology/approach

Due to the historical nature of this special issue, this work examines research published over a 30-year period beginning with the 1960s and ending with the late 1980s. After an extensive literature search, a mixture of 51 quantitative and qualitative studies on the sibling experience was included in the sample.

Findings

Findings indicate that while the focus of much of the early research on the non-impaired sibling experience was on the negative impact of having a sibling with impairments, there were some exceptions in early sociological studies that highlighted the impact of structural barriers and cultural attitudes on sibling adjustment. In particular, results of early studies showed that the transmission of inclusionary attitudes within the family unit can improve the lives of siblings.

Citation

Sanchez, M. (2016), "The Sibling Disability Experience: An Analysis of Studies Concerning Non-Impaired Siblings of Individuals with Disabilities from 1960 to 1990", Sociology Looking at Disability: What Did We Know and When Did We Know it (Research in Social Science and Disability, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 241-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-354720160000009012