Lived Experiences of Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in India: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

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Viswanathan, P., Kishore, M. T., & Seshadri, S. P. (2021). Lived Experiences of Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in India: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 44(1), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176211029111

Publication date: 29 Jul 2021 Added to AutiHub: 26 Oct 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Poornima Viswanathan *
  2. M. Thomas Kishore
  3. Shekhar P. Seshadri

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can impact the individual and their families. The impact on siblings is unique because they evolve from being another child in the family to a future adult who can be a potential resource to the family in supporting a member with ASD. Since the quality of care and support can be affected by the lived experiences of the carer and there are not many studies on siblings, this study examined the lived experiences of siblings of individuals with ASD. Methods: Fourteen siblings of individuals with ASD, aged 15–36 years, were recruited from a tertiary hospital, schools, and private institutes. A semistructured interview schedule was used to explore the lived experiences. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to identify the themes. Results: The themes based on IPA indicated that the siblings have very basic concerns like understanding the condition and complex issues such as coping, preparing for current and future roles, personal needs and expectations, need for a support system, and positive aspects of the sibling relationship. Nonetheless, the siblings minimized reporting their difficulties and focused more on the needs of the sibling with ASD. Conclusion: Siblings have diverse lived experiences, with a small element of positive experiences. Appropriate supports are needed to address the complexities of the lived experiences.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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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: 27 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
39
With a DOI
28
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
10
0 / 39 (0.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 39 (10.3%)
References with detected author names
38 / 39 (97.4%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
8
References with raw author names still to review
1
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
79
From DOI or external metadata
79
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
8 / 79 (10.1%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 71 / 79 (89.9%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
0 / 79 (0.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 0 / 8 (0.0%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 0 / 72 (0.0%).
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