Are Communication Skills as effective factors on Sibling Relationships of Adolescents with Down Syndrome?

Objectives: Sibling relationships are often among the longest lasting relationships between people, and more than two-thirds of adolescents with siblings introduce their siblings as the most important people in their life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of communication skills on sibling relationships among the adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods:  [L1]   In this quasi-experimental study, a pretest-posttest control group design was used. The total number of adolescents in Iranian Association for Down Syndrome in Tehran was 60. 30 adolescents were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were divided into two experimental and control groups. At first, the adolescents' parents responded to the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire. Then, the experimental group attended 10 sessions of communication skills. Following the tenth session, parents completed the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire once more. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed that the experimental group experienced a significant increase in the two dimensions of warmth/ closeness and conflict after the intervention program as compared to the control group (p < .01). However, the difference between the two groups was not significant in the other dimensions, namely relative status/power and rivalry. Discussion: It seems that communication skills’ training is an appropriate intervention to improve sibling relationships of the adolescents with Down syndrome.  [L1] Determine the statistical population and statistical sample.