Parent-Reported Caregiving Roles of Siblings of Children with Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

OBJECTIVES: Research examining sibling caregiving contributions to medically complex pediatric patients, including those with inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), is limited. We assess caregiving roles and attributes of siblings and hypothesize that there will be differences in parent-reported contributions among siblings of children with IEMs and siblings of typically developing (TD) children. STUDY DESIGN: A convergent parallel mixed-methods study design guided analysis of data from parental surveys and semistructured interviews. Interviews were conducted with parents (n = 49) of children with IEMs and parents (n = 28) of exclusively TD children. We used inductive thematic analysis to identify themes related to sibling caregiving. The caregiving and support roles for siblings (n = 55) of children with IEMs and siblings (n = 42) of TD children were coded to assess each sibling's caregiving contributions and personal attributes. RESULTS: Logistic regressions, using generalized estimating equations, were fitted. Results showed that siblings of children with IEMs were significantly more likely to provide monitoring (odds ratio [OR]: 3.62, confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-10.07) and emotional/social support (OR: 4.02, CI: 1.67-9.67) than siblings of TD children. Themes arising from interviews with parents of children with IEMs focused on sibling attributes, parental expectations regarding sibling caregiving, and challenges to the sibling-sibling and parent-sibling relationships. Themes revealed nuances in the sibling caregiving experience. CONCLUSION: Siblings of children with IEMs make meaningful caregiving contributions and may provide care differently than siblings of TD children. Understanding childhood caregiving roles may inform how health care providers and parents encourage sibling caregiving contributions into adulthood.

Stress, coping, and positive aspects of caregiving among caregivers of children with rare disease.

OBJECTIVE: Caregivers of children with rare diseases often consider caregiving to be a rewarding experience, despite high levels of burden. The present study examined associations between caregiver stress and positive aspects of caregiving (PAC); investigated associations between interpersonal coping strategies and PAC; and determined whether coping strategies moderated associations between stressors and PAC. DESIGN: Survey data came from a study on caregivers across different caregiving conditions, including caregivers of children diagnosed with inherited metabolic conditions (n = 167), undiagnosed diseases (n = 23), and caregivers of typically-developing children (n = 74). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) scale. RESULTS: Results from generalized linear models indicated that perceived burden was not associated with PAC. Venting was negatively associated with PAC (b= -0.09, p=.03), whereas emotional support was associated with increased PAC for caregivers of children with undiagnosed conditions (b = 0.15, p=.02). Care needs were associated with greater PAC among caregivers engaged in high levels of emotional support coping (b = 0.10, p=.01) and venting (b = 0.09, p=.03). CONCLUSION: These findings illuminate important differences in PAC based on the caregiving condition, and aspects of the caregiver stress process model that might be universal to caregivers. Results inform stress process theory and highlight the potential of support-based interventions for promoting PAC.