Sibling Bereavement from Childhood Cancer: Impact on the Surviving Children and Their Coping Responses

Abstract

The death of a sibling is potentially one of the most traumatic events for children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between siblings’ psychosocial adjustment following the death of a brother or sister and the way they cope with loss. Forty bereaved families and 31 control families of the same demographic background participated in the current study within 3 – 12 months after death of a child from cancer. Data were collected using questionnaires completed by siblings, parents, teachers and peers. Results showed that bereaved siblings do not display more internalizing and externalizing symptoms than control siblings. They also indicated that primary control coping is related to less externalizing problems while secondary control coping is related to less internalizing problems. Implications, limitations, and areas of future research are also discussed.