Abstract
The aims of this study were to explore trends in research regarding the siblings of children/persons with neurodevelopmental disorders and to discuss future challenges related to this topic. A literature review was conducted by searching the Japan Centra Revuo Medicina Web (ver. 5) using the neurodevelopmental disorder and sibling as key words. Seventeen articles were identified and analyzed. Study subjects were predominantly the siblings and few studies analyzed medical records or the published literature. Although developmental stages of the siblings varied widely, few studies evaluated those at school age or younger, and none limited their target to adolescents. Qualitative inductive analysis revealed the following six categories of research content: psychological reactions of the sibling and influencing factors, process by which the siblings build relationships with their siblings with neurodevelopmental disorders, the siblings’ perception of the disability and its effect on their family image, analysis of professional support for the siblings, process by which the siblings adapt to the life with a sibling with neurodevelopmental disorder, and case study on experiences and feelings of the sibling who is already an adult. It was confirmed that the siblings’ experiences were affected by the behavior and attitude of those around them. Experiences of siblings specific to adolescence constitute a topic to be explored in future research.
