Abstract
The aims of this study were to explore the trends in research on support for the siblings of children with diseases/disabilities and discuss future challenges related to this topic. A literature review of articles published between 2010 and 2019 was conducted using the Japan Centra Revuo Medicina Web ver. 5 electronic database. Fourteen articles meeting the study objective were subjected to analysis. Study subjects were predominantly nurses and only three articles included the siblings of children with diseases/disabilities themselves as the study participants. Two studies examined the support provided at neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Qualitative inductive analysis revealed the following four categories of research content: implementation and evaluation of a specific intervention for the siblings; current state of provision of sibling support by nurses and other health care professionals; research regarding the information provided to the siblings by their parents; and effects of sibling visits recognized by mothers. Improvement of active and direct support for the siblings of children with diseases/disabilities, facilitation of sibling visits to NICUs, and exploration of siblings’ reactions to those interventions are potential topics of future research.
