Verté S, Roeyers H, Buysse A
Ghent University, Research Group Developmental Disorders, H. Dunantlaan 2, Belgium.
Child Care Health Dev. 2003 May;29(3):193-205. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2214.2003.00331.x.
This study investigated the psychological adjustment of siblings of children with high-functioning autism (HFA) in comparison with siblings of normally developing children in the domain of behavioural problems, social competence and self-concept.
Twenty-nine siblings of children with HFA and 29 siblings of children without a disorder participated in the study. Standardized, written questionnaires were used.
Siblings of children with HFA, especially brothers and sisters between 6 and 11 years old, had more behavioural problems than siblings of the control group. Sisters of children with HFA ascribed higher social competence to themselves. Sisters of children with HFA between 12 and 16 years old had a more positive self-concept. In both groups siblings with a more negative self-concept had less social skills and siblings with a more positive self-concept scored better in the social domain. Finally, in accordance with the control group, the perception of the siblings' social competence of parents of children with HFA broadly matched the perception siblings had of themselves.
Overall, siblings of children with HFA are not more susceptible to adaptation problems than siblings of children without a disorder. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.
本研究调查了高功能自闭症（HFA）儿童的兄弟姐妹在行为问题、社交能力和自我概念方面的心理调适情况，并与正常发育儿童的兄弟姐妹进行了比较。
29名HFA儿童的兄弟姐妹和29名无疾病儿童的兄弟姐妹参与了本研究。使用了标准化的书面问卷。
HFA儿童的兄弟姐妹，尤其是6至11岁的兄弟姐妹，比对照组的兄弟姐妹有更多的行为问题。HFA儿童的姐妹认为自己有更高的社交能力。12至16岁的HFA儿童的姐妹有更积极的自我概念。在两组中，自我概念较消极的兄弟姐妹社交技能较少，而自我概念较积极的兄弟姐妹在社交领域得分更高。最后，与对照组一致，HFA儿童的父母对其兄弟姐妹社交能力的认知与兄弟姐妹对自己的认知大致相符。
总体而言，HFA儿童的兄弟姐妹并不比无疾病儿童的兄弟姐妹更容易出现适应问题。文中讨论了对实践和进一步研究的启示。
