Family Functioning and Child Behavior When a Sibling is Critically Ill

• To compare behavioral assessment scores of siblings of children who are critically ill to scores of the general population [ Time Frame: baseline and 6 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• To assess if parents who receive results of sibling behavior scores and a brief intervention, compared to parents who do not receive this information or intervention, have a different perception of the sibling's strengths and difficulties. [ Time Frame: baseline and 1 month ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Families of critically ill children can face many emotional challenges during the course of a child's illness. While some research has looked at the impact on parents, there has been little focused on siblings. We want to better understand how social support may have a protective effect on siblings' quality of life. The goal of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between an efficacious family environment and sibling behavior in families with children who are critically ill. Our hypothesis is that a cohesive, emotionally rich and open family environment provides social support so that siblings can explore and express the difficult emotions that accompany illness, and is therefore a protective factor for a sibling's behavior.