This research was conducted to find out the factors which influence positive attitudes toward a handicapped sibling of nonhandicapped children, who play an important role in the socialization of the handicapped sibling. Especially, this research was f...
This research was conducted to find out the factors which influence positive attitudes toward a handicapped sibling of nonhandicapped children, who play an important role in the socialization of the handicapped sibling. Especially, this research was focused on family resilience as a factor of positive attitudes. Family resilience helps the handicapped children's family to overcome stress and develop much stronger power than before the crisis. Family function, problem-solving communication, family hardiness, family schema and social support were selected as subordinate variables of family resilience and sex, type of handicap, ability of daily living, age were selected as characteristic variables of a handicapped sibling.
Research questions of the research are as follows:
First, how influential will family resilience be to the positive attitude toward a handicapped sibling?
Second, how different will the positive attitude of nonhandicapped siblings be according to the characteristics of the handicapped?
Object of the research was 107 nonhandicapped siblings of the mental retarded and the development disorder in the schools and welfare facilities for handicapped children in Busan and Gyeong-nam.
The results of this study are as follows:
First, family function, problem-solving communication, family hardiness, and social support, which are subordinate variables of family resilience, showed positive correlation with the positive attitude of nonhandicapped siblings.
Second, as a result of multiple regression analysis for find out influence of family resilience on the positive attitude of nonhandicapped siblings, family resilience was statistically significant influence factors, which 31.9% explanatory power. The most powerful influenced factors for positive attitude of nonhandicapped siblings were problem-solving communication and social support.
Third, the positive attitude of nonhandicapped siblings according to sex, type of handicap, ability of daily living and age, which are characteristic variables of a handicapped sibling, showed no difference statistically.
Forth, when the characteristics of the handicapped are controlled in order to clarify explanatory power of family resilience, the problem-solving communication and social support affect positive attitude.
The implication of these results are as follows:
Theoretical implication is that understanding of handicapped children's family by strength perspective, not pathological perspective shows necessity of empowerment intervention and reminds us of necessity of attention to and intervention of nonhandicapped siblings.
Clinical implication is that this research suggests the necessity of sibling support programs, understanding education of handicapped children, sibling camp and sibling meeting for nonhandicapped siblings and also, suggests programs to intensify problem-solving communication and social support.
Social welfare policy implication is that economical support is necessary to enable nonhandicapped siblings to take care of their handicapped siblings and to help their social integration after their parents' death. Also, it is necessary to suggest programs for handicapped children's residence in the community.