Siblings of very Ill Children |
Seeing a brother or sister hooked up to machines and IVs can be quite scary for a child or teen. Siblings may experience anxiety and high stress levels because of the change in their parent’s roles (when the doctor becomes their brother or sister’s primary care taker, instead of mom and dad) and fear for their brother or sister. Children often worry about their sibling’s health, and are afraid about their own health and safety. Kids may feel detached from the sick child, guilty, and alone. They may think that they are not important to the family. Older children sometimes feel the need to assume more responsibilities. Some siblings of sick children may become depressed, and may feel resentment towards the sick sibling. However, the experience of having a brother or sister in the PICU can be an opportunity for growth for these children, too. Kids can get better at dealing with stressful situations as well as work on making friendships and relationships with both peers and adults. The emotional impact of having a sibling in the hospital, like many other aspects of staying in the PICU, is still not fully understood. Further research into this topic is needed.
Here are some tips from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on helping your children cope with their sibling’s critical illness:
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