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| Categories: Diabetes and psychical effects |
| Diabetes and psychical effects | |
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Psychosocial problems siblings of young type 1 diabetics might have
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Due to all efforts parents make about children who suffer from type 1 diabetes the healthy siblings often lose some of their attention. Therefore this site deals with healthy siblings who often are disregarded in discussions about child psychology and diabetes.
How does a sibling react to diabetes of his brother or sister?
The reaction of a sibling depends on various factors. Age plays a central role: Whereas older siblings adopt a caring function and seldom struggle for attention from their parents, younger brothers or sisters often do not understand the changes in the daily routine of the family. This statement also depends on the age of the child. Furthermore, the sequence of the children plays a vital role: Is the healthy child the first-born or the youngest? How were the children cared for and treated before the chronic disease?
The best but not the simplest way is to preserve justice in the family despite the fact that one child needs special care. The individual child should not realize a big change in the attentiveness of its parents.
As already mentioned before, this is not very easy. When diabetes is diagnosed the healthy siblings often experience their parents insecure and in tears. Since before the diagnose the parents always gave off security constancy, this situation is very scary for the children. If the ill child subsequently is given privileges which subjectively influence the position of the healthy child, envy often develops. This development of envy should be prevented. Otherwise it is not surprising if healthy siblings signalise: "Hello, I'm there as well!"
Sympathy
Besides feeling neglected healthy children often feel sympathy for their ill sibling. Mainly at a young age many siblings are tied closely to each other. If one of them gets sick chronically it is a shock for both of them. Their behaviour towards their parents and towards each other changes rapidly. Siblings should be involved in training and conversations about diabetes.
The need for security - am I getting sick, too?
Training and conversations are important because often questions arise in quiet: Is it possible that I will get sick with this disease as well? Likewise situations might occur in which the siblings blame themselves to be responsible for the disease. Such thoughts have to be removed by conversations between parents and the ill child and its siblings. Otherwise the insecurity can lead to aggression and depression.
The helping sibling
The cohabitation might become problematic in case the parents take the help or the comprehension of the healthy child for granted. This might cause aggression towards the ill child and/or the parents. This is due to the strong natural egoism which is especially adhered to small children. A better way to develop a certain responsibility from within the child is to strengthen the ties between the children by means of conversations, actions and excursions. At least in school where the healthy child might be asked about the disease of his or her brother or sister such feelings can be an advantage.
Translated by Jella Eifler
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