Family functioning and psychosocial adjustment of siblings of children with intellectual disabilities

The object of the research is to verify, in families with a disabled child, the main factors which influence the family's functioning and how much they affect the psycho-social development of the ''healthy'' children. 32 couples each with 2 children aged between 8 and 10 were selected. In half of these one child was disabled. Besides the parents, siblings and their teachers were questioned. The results show that the presence of a disabled child affects stress levels, parenting, the perception of family functioning and sibling behaviour within the family and school context.