Child Life Services for Siblings of Chronically Ill Children

Abstract

Siblings of children with chronic illnesses are at high risk of adverse psychosocial and developmental outcomes, yet limited sibling-specific services are available at most pediatric healthcare facilities. Child life specialists are often the professionals most focused on and available to provide education, emotional support, and therapeutic play to support sibling coping needs in this context; however, little is known about the scope and availability of child life services for siblings of children with chronic illnesses. Therefore, the purpose of this survey-based study was to examine the type and frequency of child life services available to siblings in pediatric healthcare settings in North America, and to identify barriers to sibling support provision. Across the 76 participants in this study, a variety of sibling support frequencies and service types were identified, as well as barriers related to lack of clinical staffing, hospital-imposed visitation restrictions, and limited sibling support referrals from multidisciplinary team members. Noting these opportunities and limitations, it is crucial that healthcare administrators and institutions invest monetary and staffing resource to better meet the needs of siblings of hospitalized children.