Sibling Support Systems in Childhood after a Parent Dies

Abstract

The research question addressed was: To what extent did the interactions of childhood sibling subsystems after a parent died facilitate healthy grieving in families where the surviving parent was emotionally unavailable to the children? Utilizing Q methodology, the researcher studied two quartets of adult sisters who, when 3–10 years old, had experienced the deaths of their fathers and the emotional absence of their mothers. Results included a variety of sibling interactions that demonstrated the potential for siblings to contribute to each other's healthy grieving, although the stable presence of a supportive adult was important. Implications for helping professionals included encouragement to actively nurture sibling subsystems by teaching and coaching children how to facilitate each other's grief work in age appropriate ways, and to avoid focusing too closely on the pain of the emotionally unavailable surviving parent to the neglect of children's individual needs and care-giving capacities.