Siblings

Aims/hypothesis There has been much focus on the potential role of mitochondria in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, and many case–control mitochondrial association studies have been undertaken for these conditions. We tested for a potential association between common mitochondrial variants and a number of quantitative traits related to type 2 diabetes in a large sample of >2,000 healthy Australian adolescent twins and their siblings, many of whom were measured on more than one occasion. Methods To the best of our knowledge, this is the first mitochondrial association study of quantitative traits undertaken using family data. The maternal inheritance pattern of mitochondria means established association methodologies are unsuitable for analysis of mitochondrial data in families. We present a methodology, implemented in the freely available program Sib-Pair for performing such an analysis. Results Despite our study having the power to detect variants with modest effects on these phenotypes, only one significant association was found after correction for multiple testing in any of four age groups. This was for mt14365 with triacylglycerol levels (unadjusted p = 0.0006). This association was not replicated in other age groups. Conclusions/interpretation We find little evidence in our sample to suggest that common European mitochondrial variants contribute to variation in quantitative phenotypes related to diabetes. Only one variant showed a significant association in our sample, and this association will need to be replicated in a larger cohort. Such replication studies or future meta-analyses may reveal more subtle effects that could not be detected here because of limitations of sample size.

The emphasis on intra-family caregiving that prevailed from ancient until relatively recent times, in both philosophy and practice, was substantially displaced under the influence of the Eighteenth Century Enlightenment by an emphasis on individual independence. The ethics of familial relationships ceased to be at the center of philosophical interest. A consequence was growing inattention to the social conditions and practical arrangements needed to support family efforts to take care of the very young, the very old, the physically or mentally ill or disabled, and others in need of care. The myth of the self-sufficient family must be exploded to permit the development of a public policy that will make such support possible.

ObjectiveFew studies have explored eating disorders from the perspective of non-affected siblings. The aim of this investigation was to explore the unique experiences and challenges of siblings of women with anorexia nervosa (AN).Few studies have explored eating disorders from the perspective of non-affected siblings. The aim of this investigation was to explore the unique experiences and challenges of siblings of women with anorexia nervosa (AN).MethodTwelve semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with sibling participants to ascertain their perspective of caring for a sister with chronic AN.Twelve semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with sibling participants to ascertain their perspective of caring for a sister with chronic AN.ResultsQualitative analyses gleaned six themes: (1) the sibling role as protector and mediator; (2) familial factors that influence and reinforce these sibling roles; (3) consequences and benefits of AN to non-affected sibling; (4) coping strategies; (5) current and future intentions of caregiving and (6) professional and informal support.Qualitative analyses gleaned six themes: (1) the sibling role as protector and mediator; (2) familial factors that influence and reinforce these sibling roles; (3) consequences and benefits of AN to non-affected sibling; (4) coping strategies; (5) current and future intentions of caregiving and (6) professional and informal support.DiscussionThe findings from this qualitative study provide a window into the perceptions, feelings, and roles of siblings of women afflicted with AN. An intervention guided by the elicited themes may facilitate family functioning that is more adaptive for both siblings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.The findings from this qualitative study provide a window into the perceptions, feelings, and roles of siblings of women afflicted with AN. An intervention guided by the elicited themes may facilitate family functioning that is more adaptive for both siblings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

We report on five sibs affected by congenital microcephaly, growth retardation, sloping forehead, bitemporal grooving and micrognathia. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures started very early in life. Postnatal brain computerized tomography (CT) presented cortical band-like calcification, calcification of basal ganglia and brain stem while brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed abnormal gyral pattern, marked loss of white matter, dysplastic ventricles, polymicrogyria, hypogenesis of corpus callosum and cerebellar hypoplasia. No abnormalities of the internal organs, eye, or skeleton were found to be associated with this syndrome. Fetal Magnetic resonance imaging helped reaching the diagnosis in utero in one patient. Three patients died in the first years of life while the others within days after birth preceded by high fever and status epilepticus. These patients present many overlapping features with pseudo TORCH syndrome, however, the imaging findings are quite different. We propose that the distinct pattern in these sibs constitutes genetic disorder of microcephaly, developmental brain malformation and intracranial calcification of likely autosomal recessive inheritance. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family, including siblings, lives in fear of how the cancer will affect the sick child and how it will influence other family members. The aim of this article is to describe the experiences expressed by the siblings in a support group environment when their families have or have had a child diagnosed with cancer. Fifteen siblings 8 to 19 years of age with a brother or sister who was receiving treatment for or had died from cancer were interviewed after participating in therapeutic support groups. These interviews were conducted two weeks after the last group interaction and were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Regardless of gender and age, the siblings felt a sense of belonging and comfort by being in a group, which they appreciated. They were able to share their experiences and help each other with advice and encouragement. They all drew strength from each other. A therapeutic support group for siblings of children with ...

The current study aims to compare positive and negative measures of psychosocial functioning among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and their healthy siblings. Participants were 41 African-American children with SCD, 97 healthy siblings, and their primary caregivers. Primary caregivers completed self-report questionnaires assessing child behavioral problems, while children with SCD and siblings completed self-report questionnaires assessing coping, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. No significant differences were noted between children with SCD and their siblings on all measures. Both groups reported self-efficacy and perceived social support within the normative range, and endorsed significantly greater use of Positive/Approach coping. In general, both groups of children do not have clinically significant behavioral problems. However, secondary exploratory analyses identified that a greater percentage of children from both groups scored above the established clinical cutoff on the behavioral summary scores. Number of visits to the emergency room was related to behavioral problems in children with SCD. While previous reports have been mixed in their findings that children with SCD are at greater risk for psychosocial and other behavioral problems, the current report finds that children with SCD and their healthy siblings endorse positive psychosocial functioning and as a group do not have clinically significant behavioral problems. Nonetheless, ongoing psychosocial evaluation for children receiving treatment for SCD is vital.

Amid the horrors of trench warfare, many men derived strength and comfort from serving alongside, or in close proximity to, their brothers. Blood ties prevailed over the traditional comradeship of the fighting unit. This often improved the efficacy of soldier-brothers, increasing their bravery under fire and acting as a stabilising influence at moments of high tension. Proximity came at a price as men witnessed the woundings and deaths of siblings. The trauma of fraternal casualties shattered men’s emotional armour, sometimes bringing them to breaking point. While empathising with their predicament, men’s comrades were discomforted by brotherly grief. Letters conveyed graphic details to siblings of mechanised warfare and the strain this inflicted on their soldier-brothers. In this important way siblings supplemented the support provided by mothers, while also sharing the filial duty of shielding mothers. When men’s nerves shattered, brothers intervened to remove them to safety or to ensure that they received all due care and attention. With medical treatment varying considerably according to men’s class and financial means, sufferers welcomed any influence brought to bear by brothers. Fraternal interventions were an effective shield against complete psychic breakdown.

Genesis ist ein Buch von Familiengeschichten, welche durchgehend von Konflikten geprägt sind. Insbesondere gilt dies für Rivalitäten zwischen Brüdern. Häufige Vertauschungsepisoden und weitere Katalysatoren entfachen Konflikte, die die familiäre Kontinuität stets gefährden. Die Geschwisterrivalitäten wurden in der Forschung ausgiebig behandelt, doch die Analyse verbindender und wiederkehrender literarischer Motive zwischen den Erzählungen wurde bisher nicht ausreichend erforscht. Daher untersucht die vorliegende Studie drei Hauptrivalitäten zwischen Brüdern in ihren literarischen Verbindungen: Kain und Abel, Jakob und Esau sowie Josef und seine Brüdern. Dabei werden besonders die Abschnitte analysiert, die den Ausgangspunkt, die Eskalation und die Auflösung dieser Konflikte behandeln. Als Ergebnis der Studie werden lexikalische und thematische Motive, sowie Motive im Handlungsverlauf zwischen den Erzählungen erarbeitet. Die beschriebenen Motive stellen ein dicht verwobenes literarisches Netzwerk zwischen den Erzählungen dar. Sie zeigen einen narrativen Spannungsbogen auf, der vom urgeschichtlichen Brudermord zur Bruder-Vergebung geht und sich im Verlauf stets am Rande eines Brudermords bewegt

Genesis is a book of family histories which are marked throughout by conflict. This applies in particular to rivalry between brothers. Frequent episodes of reversals and other catalysts ignite conflicts which continually endanger family continuity. Although sibling rivalry has been extensively addressed by the academic research, the analysis of interconnected and recurrent literary motifs among the stories has not yet been sufficiently explored. Therefore, the present study investigates the literary connections among three principal rivalries: Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau and Joseph and his brothers. This includes, in particular, the analysis of those texts which deal with the origin, escalation and resolution of these conflicts. As a result of this study, lexical and thematic motifs, as well as motifs of plot development among the stories are worked out. These motifs present a tightly interwoven narrative network among the stories. They reveal a narrative arc of suspense which ranges from the primeval fratricide to fraternal forgiveness, teetering continually on the brink of fratricide

As Freud’s case of the Wolf Man makes evident through its engagement with the story of ‘The Wolf and the Seven Kids’, the Grimms’ fairytales and psychoanalysis are two interconnected frames that have influenced modern understandings of childhood. However, the significance of both sibling relationships and death has been consistently repressed within psychoanalysis, and this can also be observed in patterns of fairy tale interpretation. Recuperating both death and siblinghood for analysis of childhood may therefore yield valuable insights. Indeed, the likelihood of losing a sibling due to high childhood mortality rates in pre-modernity might suggest that children were uniquely positioned to apprehend death, since the death of a sibling – one most similar to and yet different from oneself – arguably constitutes the closest possible encounter with one’s own death. The Grimm’s tales may therefore reflect the history of a more intimate relationship between childhood and death than psychoanalytic frameworks have brought to light.

Il legame fraterno è uno dei più significativi e singolari che si possa sperimentare nell’arco di vita.
Ci sono casi in cui questo legame si caratterizza in modo particolare per la presenza in famiglia di un
fratello o una sorella con disabilità di varia natura. Il ruolo degli altri figli si fa ancora più complesso, spesso
lasciato nell’ombra. Questo lavoro si prefigge di esplorarlo e valorizzarlo, per scoprire che la loro identità
ed esperienza non si esauriscono nella definizione “sono fratello/sorella di…”.

The fraternal relationship is one of the most significant relations of kinship that we can
experience in lifetime. It may happen that this particular relationship is characterized by the presence of a
brother or sister with various disabilities. In this case the role of the other children, which are often left in
the shadows, might become even more complex. This paper aims at exploring and developing the features
related to their role, in order to highlight that their identities and experiences do not vanish in the
definition of “being the brother/or the sister of... ”.