Helping as Coping by Siblings of the Disabled

This paper focuses on one of the most salient issues for siblings of children with disabilities--their helping or caretaking behavior. Prior research has found that siblings can experience either negative or positive mental health outcomes as a result of having a brother or sister with disabilities. When maladjustment occurs, 't is frequently attributed to the stress of excessive helping. aradoxically, the altruism literature suggests that altruism may be associated with positive emotional sequelae for the helper. In this presentation, the argument is made that voluntary helping may be used as a means for productive and successful coping with the stress of living with a handicapped sibling. In contrast to the view that adverse emotional responses are necessary consequences, wh:ch may be averted only be protection from caretaking responsibilities, we propose a conceptual model in which helping may, under certain conditions, be associated with positive outcomes. Investigations based on our model of the relationships between personal and situational factors, helping and mental health outcomes are expected to contribute to our theoretical understanding of the role of helping as a form of active mastery in families of the handicapped. HELPING AS COPING BY SIBLINGS OF THE DISABLED While the literature on handicapped children has burgeoned in the past several decades, only in rare instances has the potential for the reciprocal influence of the child's handicap and the family been articulated (cf. Bandura, 1978; Masters et al, 1983; Minuchin et al, 1978). With the increased emphasis on school and family contextual factors attendant upon the passage of the Education folAll Handicapped Children Act (P. L. 94-142), there has been an increased emphasis on the attitudes by teachers toward mainstreamed children (Hannah & Fliner, 1983), and families, especially mothers (Gabel et al, 1983; Seligman, 1983). On the other hand, although 80% of handicapped children have one or more siblings, the impact of the disability on the nonhandicapped sibling has rarely been systematically investigated (Simeonsson & McHale, 1981; McKeever, 1983). The primary emphasis of investigators concerned with the effect of a handicapped child on the family has been on the child as a source of stress. Indeed, there is little doubt that stress is experienced as a consequence of having a handicapped family member (Featherstone, 1980). On the other hand, there is evidence that a subset of siblings of persons with diverse handicapping conditions may experience the presence of a handicapped sibling as providing an opportunity for spontaneous helpin(zi (Midlarsky & Suda, 1978), a view that may be well-supported by attitudes and socializtion practices existing within the family. There is also empirical support for the proposition that helping may not only benefit the recipient, but may also be associated with positive consequences for the benefactor (Fisher et al, 1981; Rakos & Schroeder, 1976).