Prosocial competencies among adolescent siblings of the physically disabled

Abstract

<b>Background</b><br /> The current study examined possible prosocial benefits of having a disabled sibling. Until now research has mainly focused on the negative effects of having a sibling with a disability. We hypothesized that regular and frequent interactions with a disabled person should result in an increase of positive attitude and empathy toward other people who are in a disadvantageous situation.<br /> <br /> <b>Participants and procedure</b><br /> A sample of 208 students from public secondary schools (middle and high schools) completed the Polish version of the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) in order to assess the tendencies to prosocial behaviors in different conditions. Participants were between 13 and 18 years old. Ninety-six adolescents had a disabled sibling (group T) and 112 constituted the control group (group C).<br /> <br /> <b>Results</b><br /> Results showed that group T generally scored higher than group C in the number of helping behaviors. Furthermore, girls scored higher than boys in anonymous prosocial behaviors. The older adolescents are more inclined to use helping behaviors both in anonymous and compliant situations than their younger colleagues.<br /> <br /> <b>Conclusions</b><br /> Presence of disabled children in a family context may facilitate prosocial behavior in their non-disabled siblings. Older participants less frequently described themselves as prosocial in public situations. In contrast, younger adolescents reported weaker prosocial tendencies in anonymous and compliant situations. The effect of gender on prosocial tendencies was significant for public prosocial behavior, with a higher level achieved by males in this domain. Data analysis also showed significantly greater emotional and altruistic tendencies in females than in males.

Social values and civic behaviour among youth in Ireland: The influence of social contexts

“…Specifically, findings from the current study indicated that older adolescents showed significantly lower levels of offline civic behaviour than younger adolescents, which is opposite to the trend typically reported in the literature, while girls were found to report significantly higher altruistic intentions than boys. In relation to these findings, it is important to note, however, that a number of researchers have provided evidence to suggest that gender and age effects may vary depending on the type of prosocial or civic behaviour being assessed (Eberly-Lewis and Coetzee, 2015; Perenc et al., 2015). Hence, future research may benefit from further assessing age and gender differences in a variety of offline and online civic activities.…”

Empathy and Prosocial Behavior in Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review

“…Alternatively, other research has shown that the experience of being a sibling of a brother or sister with a chronic disorder other than ASD can enhance empathy and prosocial behavior. For example, two studies compared siblings of children with physical disabilities (PD) to controls and found that siblings of children with PD scored significantly higher on measures of empathy and prosocial behavior (Perenc et al, 2015;Perenc & Pęczkowski, 2018). These findings contrast with the potential negative impacts such experiences can have on mental health and remind us that the assumption that siblings automatically will experience negative outcomes sometimes is wrong.…”

Prosocial Behavior Is a Relative Strength in Siblings of Children with Physical Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…There is far less research on positive functioning for siblings relative to the risks (e.g., Vermaes et al, 2012). This is unfortunate, since despite the risks, the experience of having a brother or sister with a developmental or physical disability may also embed positive outcomes (Perenc et al, 2015;Shivers, 2019). In the current study, we focus on such a positive factor (i.e., siblings' prosocial behavior).…”

“…Because the interaction between siblings is affected when one child has a disability (Knott et al, 2007), prosocial learning may also be affected. In some instances, siblings may learn caretaking skills, to take the perspective of others, and to set the needs of others above own needs (Fjermestad et al, 2019;Perenc & Pęczkowski, 2018;Perenc et al, 2015;Shivers, 2019). In other instances, siblings may be deprived of important social and prosocial interactions with their brother or sister with a disability (Kaminsky & Dewey, 2001;Knott et al, 2007).…”

“…The empirical findings regarding these sibling groups are mixed. One line of findings suggests that siblings of children with physical disabilities are more prosocial than siblings of children without disabilities (Perenc & Pęczkowski, 2018;Perenc et al, 2015). Another line of findings is more mixed, in that siblings of children with ASD have been found to display both higher, lower, and similar levels of prosocial behavior compared with peers.…”