Using administrative data to examine variables affecting the mental health of siblings of children who have a developmental disability.

BACKGROUND

There is evidence that siblings of children with a developmental disability (DD) experience poorer mental health outcomes and increased stress compared to siblings of non-disabled children. The variables which contribute to this are unclear.

AIMS: This study was designed to examine population-level and individual variables associated with differences in mental health outcomes among siblings of children who have a variety of developmental disabilities.

METHODS

Population-level administrative health data covering 1985-2014 for the province of British Columbia, Canada were used to develop a cohort of over 45,000 children who have a sibling with a DD. Individual-level, demographic and health care services variables were used in logistic regression to assess their relationship to diagnoses of depression or other mental health problems.

OUTCOMES: Odds of a diagnosis of depression or a mental health problem other than depression were associated with sex of the non-disabled sibling, sex of the child with the developmental disability, type of disability, birth order and income.

CONCLUSIONS

Type of developmental disability, and characteristics of the non-disabled sibling and their family are associated with mental health outcomes of siblings of children with a DD.