Siblings of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism: A Scoping Review using Trauma Theory

A voluminous body of scientific literature has found that challenging behaviors (CBs) in children with intellectual disabilities (ID) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are associated to symptoms of anxiety in their parents. There is also emerging evidence that they are linked to post-traumatic symptoms in their parents. However, fewer studies have investigated the psychological adjustment of their siblings. Various studies have found that these siblings display high levels of anxiety, but none has explored their psychological adjustment using a developmental trauma theory. This scoping review aims to take stock of the evidence on the psychological adjustment of siblings of children with ID or ASD and CBs in order to explore if the context in which they grow up and some of their psychological challenges could be understood within the framework of developmental trauma theory. A search was conducted in four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Embase), and 42 relevant studies were identified and analyzed. The analysis revealed that siblings of children with ID or ASD and CBs report both a familial context and symptoms that may fit within trauma theory. This scoping review therefore gathers evidence on the psychological adjustment of siblings of children with ID or ASD and CBs while also shedding a new light on some of the experiences they may have using trauma theory. This supports the idea that using trauma theory in this population is relevant and would allow for a better understanding of their reality and the development of resources tailored to their specific needs.