Survey Study Shows Kids’ Drawings To Help Understand Sibling Dynamics
Children across Australia aged 4-12 years are being asked to grab their crayons, pencils or pens and create their best drawing of themselves and their siblings in a simple study that will help researchers learn more about sibling relationships.
“When there’s a child in the family with disability, or even a chronic condition like diabetes or asthma, much of the focus tends naturally to be on that child.”
Telethon Kids Institute and UWA PhD student Caitlin Gray
The study, led by Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia PhD student Caitlin Gray, is part of a wider project investigating the experiences of children who grow up with a sibling or siblings with disability or a chronic medical condition.
Although the aim is to understand more about families who have children with such conditions – in particular how siblings of these children could be better supported – the researchers are keen to receive drawings from as many children as possible who have siblings.
“We really want to hear from children who do have siblings with a disability or chronic condition, but we are also very keen to hear from children in families where this isn’t the case so we can compare sibling experiences across different types of families,” Ms Gray said.
She said drawings could reveal valuable information about how children were feeling and how they related to their siblings.
“Drawing is such an easy and natural form of communication for children, and it’s a way of capturing their knowledge and feelings without them actually telling us,” Ms Gray said.
“We’re interested in finding out how drawings of siblings may be influenced by age, family size, gender, and presence of disability among the children. We’re also interested in learning at what age aspects of sibling disability are reflected in drawing.”
Kids drawing with pencils
Ms Gray said disability research to date had largely focused on the children living with disability, but this study turned the focus outwards to the other children in the family.
“The circumstances of siblings have been largely neglected by research and policy, but there’s an increasingly urgent push to understand more about this group,” she said.
“When there’s a child in the family with disability, or even a chronic condition like diabetes or asthma, much of the focus tends naturally to be on that child.”
“They tend to need more medical appointments, more time with the parents, and it can put a strain on family resources, create a challenging home environment, and limit opportunities for siblings.”
Ms Gray said that as well as facing some challenges, the siblings of children with disabilities also gain a lot from their relationships.
“We know that often children who grow up with a sibling who is disabled or living with a chronic illness often learn some important skills that they carry through to adulthood,” she said.
Ms Gray said the drawing study would offer a window into the feelings of such children while still young, and help demonstrate how their experiences may differ from other children. This would help fill in the picture across the life course, in turn helping to guide and develop new models of support for siblings who may be vulnerable.
“This study is so fun and simple but it could give us really valuable insights that we can use to help families who live every day with added challenges,” she said.