A child dies, a child survives: the impact of sibling loss.

When a child dies, the survivors--both parents and the remaining children--must adapt to a new reality. The immediate effect of sibling death is to precipitate grief and to increase the psychologic vulnerability of the remaining children. Communication patterns within a family in part determine the ease or difficulty with which members are able to live with the death of a child. This article discusses a family-centered approach toward support of siblings in bereavement. Strategies that assist surviving family members to mobilize their own strengths are presented. A review of resources pertaining to sibling loss is included.