Stress Coping Among Siblings of Children with Chronic Health Conditions

Abstract

Objective. Siblings of children with chronic health conditions (SCCHCs) are often exposed to potentially stressful situations (e.g., reduced attention). Stress coping behaviors may moderate the effect of stressors on psychosocial adjustment. However, few studies found links between coping differences among SCCHCs and adjustment outcomes. Person-centered approaches may map behavioral variance more accurately. The purpose of this study was to derive patterns of stress coping behaviors among SCCHCs and investigate their associations with demographic measures and quality of life.Methods. Eighty SCCHCs aged six to 16 (M = 10.9, SD = 2.3) were included. Their siblings had various conditions (33% neoplasm/cancer, 13% developmental abnormalities, 9% diseases of the nervous system, 6% neurodevelopmental disorder). The German Coping Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents measured five stress coping behaviors. The KIDSCREEN-10 index measured quality of life. A hierarchical cluster analysis (Wards method, Euclidean distance) was followed by a non-hierarchical k-means cluster analysis. Results were validated by latent profile finite mixture modeling.Results. Cluster analysis yielded two stress coping patterns: high copers (43%) and low copers (57%). High copers used all coping strategies more frequently than low copers. Latent profile analysis widely confirmed this. Additionally, the possible existence of extreme groups within both patterns was indicated. Clusters did not differ regarding demographic measures. However, high copers reported higher quality of life than low copers. Conclusion. Stress coping differences can be described by two patterns that vary quantitively. Frequent usage of various coping strategies may lead to psychosocial adjustment. Interventions should therefore facilitate multiple coping behaviors.