Parent perceptions of the relation between resilience, autism, and sibling relationship quality
Abstract
The role of resilience in neurotypical siblings with a brother or sister on the autism spectrum is limited; however, contemporary strength-based theories suggest it may buffer or mitigate the potential negative impact of autism on the sibling relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among multiple sociodemographic factors, resilience in the neurotypical sibling, autism severity, and the quality of the sibling relationship, from the point of view of the parent or primary caregiver. Parents or caregivers (N = 104) completed an Internet survey to investigate the ability of neurotypical sibling resilience and autism severity to predict the quality of the sibling relationship. A series of preliminary statistical analyses determined that no sociodemographic variables were necessary to include in the hierarchical regression. Results of the hierarchical regression indicated that increasing levels of autism severity were associated with poorer sibling relationship quality when the neurotypical sibling embodied relatively high levels of resilience. This finding was contrary to expectation and conflicts with the long-held notion that resilience reliably buffers at-risk populations against adverse conditions or stressors.
Subject Area
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Gold, Mireille Renee, "Parent perceptions of the relation between resilience, autism, and sibling relationship quality" (2017). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10258912.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10258912
