Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the differences between youths with a sibling affected
by a chronic condition or a disability (SCCD) and their peers with healthy siblings.
Method: Using data from the second wave of GenerationFRee study, we compared adolescents from
each gender with healthy siblings to adolescents with SCDD on demographical, familial, internalizing
and externalizing behavior variables. Subsequently we repeated the analysis excluding from each
group adolescents who suffer from a chronic condition or disability themselves.
Results: At bivariate and multivariate level, among those with SCDD, healthy females reported more
somatic symptoms, healthy males more violent behaviors, and both genders were more often in nonintact
families. When considering both healthy and unhealthy adolescents, at bivariate analysis female
adolescents with SCDD were more likely to have a poorer relationship to their mother, to be unhealthy,
to smoke, to be at risk for disordered eating and to report somatic symptoms. At multivariate
level, only the association with CDD and smoking remained. Male adolescents with SCDD, at both
bivariate and multivariate analysis, were more likely to be unhealthy and to live in larger and nonintact
families.
Conclusion: Adolescents with a SCDD are more at risk if they are healthy themselves. Health professionals
in contact with adolescents should always consider them in a systemic approach. Parents
should be informed about potential effect on the siblings of a child with CDD, but also reassured, as
most other variables were not significantly raised among adolescents with SCDD.