Early adulthood with a disabled sibling: ‘I’m more than just her sister, more now than I’ve ever been’

Broomhead, KE ORCID: 0000-0002-1977-0246 and Smith, MD (2026) Early adulthood with a disabled sibling: ‘I’m more than just her sister, more now than I’ve ever been’. Disability & Society. pp. 1-22. ISSN 0968-7599

Preview

Text Early adulthood with a disabled sibling I m more than just her sister more now than I ve ever been.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Siblings of disabled individuals play a central role within the family system, often taking on responsibilities and providing support amounting to parentification. Despite holding valuable insights, the perspectives of young adults are scant in literature. This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of five emerging adults in England, who have a disabled sibling. It explores the emotions and experiences characterising this specific conceptual life stage. Participants described positive outcomes associated with having a disabled sibling, including empathy and strengthened family relationships. Alongside these positive outcomes, two interconnecting themes were identified: (i) participants held caregiving roles that expand the dynamics of the sibling relationship, highlighting parentification, and (ii) the complex emotions regarding their future. The experience of parentification may therefore shape the transition into emerging adulthood for individuals with disabled siblings, with caregiving responsibilities emerging through the interaction of family relationships, limited external support, and broader social expectations surrounding care.

Points of interest
Young adults with a disabled brother or sister often take on caring roles, which can change the usual sibling relationship.

Young adults report positive experiences such as strong family bonds, but also describe worries and uncertainty about their sibling’s future care.

The findings show that siblings’ wellbeing and support needs should be recognised, as providing appropriate support can benefit both siblings and disabled family members.

The study highlights the need to include sibling views in research with disabled people and their families.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1303 Specialist Studies in Education; 1607 Social Work; 1608 Sociology; Rehabilitation; 3904 Specialist studies in education; 4409 Social work; 4410 Sociology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman L Education > L Education (General) R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
Divisions:	Education
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Date of acceptance:	6 August 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	2 September 2026
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2026 08:39
Last Modified:	02 Sep 2026 08:39
DOI or ID number:	10.1080/09687599.2026.2723732
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29276

View Item