Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, London, UK.
Department of Psychology, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, UK.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2015 Apr 7;9:8. doi: 10.1186/s13034-015-0041-z. eCollection 2015.
Siblings of children with chronic illness and disabilities are at increased risk of negative psychological effects. Support groups enable them to access psycho-education and social support. Barriers to this can include the distance they have to travel to meet face-to-face. Audio-conferencing, whereby three or more people can connect by telephone in different locations, is an efficient means of groups meeting and warrants exploration in this healthcare context. This study explored the feasibility of audio-conferencing as a method of facilitating sibling support groups.
A longitudinal design was adopted. Participants were six siblings (aged eight to thirteen years) and parents of children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders attending the Centre for Interventional Paediatric Psychopharmacology (CIPP). Four of the eight one-hour weekly sessions were held face-to-face and the other four using audio-conferencing. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and interviews were completed and three to six month follow-up interviews were carried out. The sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematic analysis was undertaken.
Audio-conferencing as a form of telemedicine was acceptable to all six participants and was effective in facilitating sibling support groups. Audio-conferencing can overcome geographical barriers to children being able to receive group therapeutic healthcare interventions such as social support and psycho-education. Psychopathology ratings increased post-intervention in some participants. Siblings reported that communication between siblings and their family members increased and siblings' social network widened.
Audio-conferencing is an acceptable, feasible and effective method of facilitating sibling support groups. Siblings' clear accounts of neuropsychiatric symptoms render them reliable informants. Systematic assessment of siblings' needs and strengthened links between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, school counsellors and young carers groups are warranted.
患有慢性疾病和残疾的儿童的兄弟姐妹面临更大的负面心理影响风险。支持小组使他们能够获得心理教育和社会支持。但他们可能会面临需要长途跋涉才能面对面见面的障碍。音频会议是一种使三人或更多人能够在不同地点通过电话连接的有效手段，非常适合小组会议，值得在这种医疗保健环境中进行探索。本研究探讨了音频会议作为促进兄弟姐妹支持小组的一种方法的可行性。
采用纵向设计。参与者是六名兄弟姐妹（年龄八至十三岁）和参加儿童干预性精神药理学中心（CIPP）的复杂神经发育障碍儿童的父母。每周进行八次一小时的会议，其中四次面对面进行，另外四次使用音频会议。在干预前后完成问卷调查和访谈，并进行三到六个月的随访访谈。对会议进行音频录制、转录和主题分析。
音频会议作为一种远程医疗形式被所有六名参与者接受，并且有效地促进了兄弟姐妹支持小组。音频会议可以克服地理障碍，使儿童能够接受社交支持和心理教育等团体治疗性医疗干预。一些参与者的心理病理学评分在干预后增加。兄弟姐妹报告说，兄弟姐妹之间以及他们的家庭成员之间的沟通增加了，兄弟姐妹的社交网络也扩大了。
音频会议是促进兄弟姐妹支持小组的一种可接受、可行和有效的方法。兄弟姐妹对神经精神症状的清晰描述使他们成为可靠的信息来源。有必要系统评估兄弟姐妹的需求，并加强儿童和青少年心理健康服务、学校辅导员和年轻照顾者小组之间的联系。
