Involving Adult Siblings in the Lives of Individuals With Pervasive Support Needs: Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals

TL;DR

This study explores healthcare professionals' attitudes toward involving adult siblings in the care of individuals with pervasive support needs.

Contribution

The study identifies gaps in knowledge and structural opportunities for involving adult siblings in care practices.

Findings

Around 40% of healthcare professionals reported lacking knowledge about sibling preferences.

Most professionals viewed sibling involvement as enjoyable and important, but not all felt it was their responsibility.

There is a need to improve knowledge and systematically include siblings in care practices.

Abstract

Facilitating adult sibling involvement for individuals with pervasive support needs is important. This study explores the attitudes of healthcare professionals in this process.

The attitudes of healthcare professionals (n = 60) in the Netherlands were explored through an online, self‐developed survey with open and closed‐ended questions.

Around 40% of the participants reported (partly) lacking knowledge about sibling preferences and 23% (partly) lacking practical opportunities for involving siblings. The majority (partly) perceived the involvement of siblings as an enjoyable part of their work (82%), rated their knowledge and skills positively (87%), and regarded sibling involvement as such importance that they would be willing to exert considerable effort to contribute to it (61%). Not all participants perceived it as their job to collaborate with siblings.

There is a need to increase healthcare professionals' knowledge about adult sibling preferences and structurally embed sibling involvement within care practices.

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