障がい者きょうだいは自らの家族内役割をどのように体験するのか？

―インタビュー調査による質的検討―

抄録

　　The purposes of this study were to map the experience of typically developing (TD) siblings of individuals with disabilities in taking on roles in their families and to examine further support for TD siblings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 TD siblings of individuals with an intellectual disability, autistic spectrum disorder, or Down syndrome. Interview data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Adoption of family roles by TD siblings involved a process centered on the experience of “being constrained” by their families. In addition, results suggested that the more TD siblings play the role of “supporting family members,” the more tightly they were constrained by the families. Given that situation, some TD siblings “sorted out” their feelings by “looking back on their past” triggered by 1) “changes in material circumstances” and/or 2) psychological changes led to encounters with people who provided “emotional support.” Based on the current results, support for TD siblings has been discussed from three points of view: not expecting them to play an outsized role in the family so that they can spend their free time as they wish, to the extent possible; ensuring that they have the freedom to choose their own course in life; respecting them as individuals in relationships with various people, including other TD siblings.