Prosocial Behavior Is a Relative Strength in Siblings of Children with Physical Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Orm, S., Haukeland, Y., Vatne, T., Silverman, W. K., & Fjermestad, K. (2021). Prosocial Behavior Is a Relative Strength in Siblings of Children with Physical Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 34(4), 591-608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-021-09816-7

Publication date: 18 Sep 2021 Added to AutiHub: 20 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
5
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 5 (20.0%)

Abstract

Abstract Research on siblings of children with developmental and physical disabilities has emphasized negative influences on siblings’ mental health. Yet, such siblings may be more prosocial compared with siblings of children without disabilities, due to care responsibilities and their experiences with their brother’s or sister’s disability. We compared prosocial behavior between siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 47), physical disabilities (n = 42), and siblings of children without disabilities (n = 44) using a multi-informant approach (i.e., child-, mother-, and father-report). Prosocial behavior was measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical sibling literature, we also examined whether siblings’ internalizing and externalizing difficulties, adjustment to the sibling situation, and communication with parents correlated with siblings’ prosocial behavior. Child-reported internalizing difficulties and mother–child communication significantly correlated with mother-reported prosocial behavior. Child-reported internalizing and externalizing difficulties significantly correlated with father-reported prosocial behavior. No significant correlates with child-reported prosocial behavior was identified. When adjusting for siblings’ internalizing and externalizing difficulties and mother–child communication, siblings of children with physical disabilities scored significantly higher than siblings of children without disabilities on mother- and father-reported prosocial behavior. Siblings of children with ASD scored significantly higher on mother-reported prosocial behavior. We conclude that prosocial behavior may be a relative strength in siblings of children with developmental and physical disabilities, and that siblings’ prosocial behavior may be influenced by type of disability, mental health, and family communication. Interventions targeting siblings’ mental health and family communication may be helpful in promoting siblings’ prosocial behavior.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
62
With a DOI
59
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
3
1 / 62 (1.6%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
3 / 62 (4.8%)
References with detected author names
59 / 62 (95.2%)
Without detected author names
3
Without a structured title
2
Without a stable identifier
3
References with raw author names still to review
2
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
244
From DOI or external metadata
244
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
3
46 / 244 (18.9%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 198 / 244 (81.1%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
1 / 244 (0.4%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 1 / 46 (2.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 1 / 209 (0.5%).
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