Abstract
Little attention has focused on siblings-in-law, the spouses of siblings of people with disabilities. Using an online survey, 102 siblings-in-law provided information concerning themselves, their spouses, in-law family, and experiences. Overall experiences were rated as positive (51.0%), mixed (34.3%), or negative (14.7%). Compared to respondents with negative outcomes, respondents with positive and mixed outcomes felt being a sibling-in-law more positively impacted their marriage, relationship with in-laws, parenting, desire to advocate, and career. Before marriage, these two groups better understood sibling-in-law responsibilities and reported less worry about marrying into a family with a member with disabilities or having children with disabilities. In open-ended reflections, 1/3 of respondents discussed family dynamics; improving disability knowledge; future planning; and marriage considerations. Practice and research implications are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 361-378 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Intellectual and developmental disabilities |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 8 2020 |
Keywords
- Caring for adults with IDD
- Families
- Sibling-in-law
- Siblings
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Community and Home Care
- Psychiatry and Mental health