A group intervention for siblings of pediatric cancer patients

A group intervention to reduce emotional and behavioral problems in siblings of children with cancer was evaluated. Forty-seven siblings aged 6 to 14 years participated in seven groups, with 4 to 9 siblings in each group. Groups consisted of eight weekly two-hour sessions guided by a manual. Four assessments were conducted: two before the intervention and two after the intervention. Children completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and behavior; parents reported on siblings' anxiety and behavior. After the intervention, siblings reported significantly reduced :symptoms of anxiety and depression, and parents reported significant reductions in siblings' anxiety and behavior problems. An interaction between intervention, age, and gender indicated that adolescent girls had more depressive symptoms than adolescent boys did before the intervention and younger girls did after the intervention. The findings suggest that group intervention benefits siblings of children with cancer, with age and gender influencing this effect. (c) 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.