Health-related quality of life measurement in siblings of children with physical chronic illness: a systematic review

The diagnosis of a physical chronic illness during childhood can cause stressors and changes within the family system that place family members at-risk for impaired functioning. The objective of the present study was to perform a systematic review on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of siblings of children with physical chronic health conditions. Three independent reviewers performed the search in the databases PsycINFO and PubMed, which resulted in 9 studies meeting full inclusion criteria. Overall, sibling HRQOL was better than children with a physical chronic illness. Parents of siblings of children with physical chronic illness tended to rate sibling HRQOL better than siblings self-reports. Greater disease severity emerged as a potential risk factor for impaired sibling HRQOL. These data underscore the importance of assessing sibling HRQOL in families with a child who has been diagnosed with a physical chronic illness. Future research is needed in this area with larger sibling samples and across a greater variety of childhood chronic illnesses.