Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the coping strategies utilized by primary caregivers and siblings of an individual with a disability and to compare coping strategies of these two groups. The participants in this study were primary caregivers and adult siblings of students with moderate to severe disabilities, living in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, California. Methodology. This causal-comparative and descriptive statistical study was developed to answer the following research questions: What are the coping strategies used by primary caregivers having a child with a disability? What are the coping strategies used by adult siblings of an individual with a disability? Are there differences in coping strategies of the parents or caregivers compared with coping strategies of the siblings of those with disabilities? Using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), 24 primary caregivers and 25 adult siblings of an individual with a disability from Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties were surveyed to determine their coping mechanisms. Findings. Of the 8 coping scales, both parents and siblings responded highest in seeking social support and positive reappraisal. However, results also showed significant differences in the ways in which these two groups coped especially in the area of seeking social support and planful problem solving. Conclusions. The results showed the ways in which the adult siblings and primary caregivers coped with a family member with a disability. The sample size allowed 2-tailed t tests to be conducted to determine if there were differences in the ways the siblings and caregivers coped. The results show that there is a significant difference in the way in which these two groups coped having a family member with a disability. Recommendations. Future research could use a qualitative method. This would allow a researcher to explore the types of coping strategies used by caregivers or siblings and the effectiveness of those strategies, going deeper and reflecting more within each of the 8 coping scales. Another recommendation is a replication study, ensuring a larger sample size or varying type of disability, age, mothers versus fathers, or brothers versus sisters.