Brain Injury: Helping Brothers and Sisters
Brothers or sisters may think that coming home from the hospital or rehabilitation program means that the brain injury has been "fixed" or "cured." Discharge from the hospital does not mean that life is "back to normal." The future still is uncertain.
Siblings have many feelings to sort out as life at home changes. Parents may argue more, or be quiet, moody, or tearful. They may be exhausted by the end of the day. This leaves less time and attention for siblings even though the family is together again.
Siblings can feel resentful and angry if life at home still revolves around the injured child. Siblings may even wish the child had died or that parents would divorce. These are not "bad" thoughts that deserve punishment. They are normal reactions to loss. They are signs that siblings need emotional support and information to adjust to changes in their family.
Some siblings cope by being "extra good," while others rebel, act out, and create even more stress for already exhausted parents. Signs that siblings are troubled and need help are nightmares, unusually quiet behavior, changes in eating, increased quarrels or fights, tearfulness, moodiness, or difficulty at school.
Counseling with a psychologist or social worker experienced in brain injury can help siblings sort out complicated feelings. Some trauma centers and rehabilitation programs have support groups or special meetings for siblings. See Figure 1 for a checklist for strategies parents, relatives, and professionals can use to help siblings.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 1.
Checklist for Supporting Siblings of Children with Brain Injury
Coming Home
Brothers or sisters may think that coming home from the hospital or rehabilitation program means that the brain injury has been "fixed" or "cured." Discharge from the hospital does not mean that life is "back to normal." The future still is uncertain.
Siblings have many feelings to sort out as life at home changes. Parents may argue more, or be quiet, moody, or tearful. They may be exhausted by the end of the day. This leaves less time and attention for siblings even though the family is together again.
Siblings can feel resentful and angry if life at home still revolves around the injured child. Siblings may even wish the child had died or that parents would divorce. These are not "bad" thoughts that deserve punishment. They are normal reactions to loss. They are signs that siblings need emotional support and information to adjust to changes in their family.
Some siblings cope by being "extra good," while others rebel, act out, and create even more stress for already exhausted parents. Signs that siblings are troubled and need help are nightmares, unusually quiet behavior, changes in eating, increased quarrels or fights, tearfulness, moodiness, or difficulty at school.
Counseling with a psychologist or social worker experienced in brain injury can help siblings sort out complicated feelings. Some trauma centers and rehabilitation programs have support groups or special meetings for siblings. See Figure 1 for a checklist for strategies parents, relatives, and professionals can use to help siblings.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 1.
Checklist for Supporting Siblings of Children with Brain Injury