Siblings+? Dynamic role transformations in sibling relationships among children of parents with mental illness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-1263Keywords:
interpretative-hermeneutic analysis, biographical-narrative interviews, children of parents with mental illness, sibling relationships, role shifts in family systemsAbstract
Objective: This study examines how siblings from families with two parents affected by mental illness negotiate their roles within the sibling group and which systemic-dynamic processes shape these negotiations.
Background: While numerous studies have explored the experiences of children of parents with mental illness, little research has investigated how these experiences shape sibling relationships. This study addresses this research gap by analysing the conditions and systemic dynamics within sibling relationships under challenging life circumstances.
Method: Biographical-narrative interviews were conducted with 11 young adults (aged 20-35) from four families in Germany and Austria who grew up in households with both parents affected by mental illness. Through interpretative-hermeneutic fine-structure analysis and systemic analysis, individual ascriptions of meaning and systemic-dynamic processes were reconstructed.
Results: The analysis reveals that siblings in these families not only shape their own relationship but also assume an expanded set of responsibilities ("siblings+"). The parental impairment creates a role vacuum, which siblings compensate for among themselves. This results in an extended sibling role encompassing additional rights and obligations typically ascribed to parents.
Conclusion: When parents are unable to fulfil their caregiving function and no external support is available, sibling relationships undergo fundamental transformations. Institutions that support such families should take these specific dynamics into account in order to meet the needs of those affected.
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