Sibling Support Research

The Sibling Support Program: A Family-Centered Mental Health Initiative was developed at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center of the UMass Chan Medical Schooll. The project was implemented at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) as an IRB-approved research study from 2011-2024. The research study explored the impact of mental illness on typically developing siblings and caregivers of children with psychiatric needs. Currently, the program is offered free of charge, as a non-research initiative, to families across the country. 

Study goals were:

  • to increase resiliency and mitigate the trauma commonly experienced by siblings of children admitted for psychiatric hospitalization
  • to build skills, competency and confidence among parents
  • to help restore family stability post-discharge
  • to build capacity among clinicians that practice family-centered mental health care

Interventions included psycho-educational groups for caregivers, and sibling support groups for children growing up alongside the patient. Participants completed surveys following the intervention to report on knowledge learned, satisfaction level, and behavioral change anticipated by the participant. Results suggested that a child’s mental illness can be traumatic for family members, and that sharing stories can alleviate the stress and anxiety related to living in a home with a child with mental illness. Over 2,400 participants were enrolled in this innovative program that utilized parent mentors and trainees across disciplines to deliver interventions, with high satisfaction scores among participants. The program served as a training rotation for CHA psychiatry residents through Harvard Medical School.

Sibling Support Program publications