Growing up with disabled siblings - opportunity or a threat to development? The role of family and individual factors in going through adolescence - perspective of a healthy child.

Having a disabled sibling can be a source of extremely important and enriching experiences that foster both, the development of social and emotional competences, as well as broaden the child's perspective and knowledge (Burke, 2004). However, the presence of the disabled child in the family, also poses many challenges for their siblings, especially in adolescence (Knecht et al., 2015). Thus, having a disabled sibling is analysed in the literature from two main perspectives: threat and opportunity/resource for development: 1) Children with disabled siblings often receive less attention from their parents and other family members and friends, and consequently feel lonely, unimportant and rejected. Therefore, they often experience a sense of injustice, jealousy and anger towards sick siblings, which may then result in hyperactivity, irritation and aggression manifested in school and peer functioning (Knecht et al., 2015), as well as adaptation problems (Ferraioli & Harris, 2009). Among the siblings of disabled children, there is also a lowered self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence. They are often referred to as "forgotten people", whose responsibility is to care for sick siblings. In addition to mental problems, children with disabled siblings are more likely to experience various somatic complaints and problems with sleeping and eating (Knecht et al., 2015). Research also indicates that adolescents in this group exhibit higher levels of depression, separation anxiety, and internalizing behaviors (Lovell & Wetherell, 2016). 2) The resource perspective, in turn, indicates a higher sense of responsibility, self-efficacy and pride in caring for sick siblings (Roper et al., 2014). There is less quarrel and competition among siblings, increased level of empathy (Cuskelly & Gunn, 2003), as well as an increase in self-control, tolerance and understanding (Mulroy et al., 2008) are observed in siblings of children with disabilities. Therefore, the aim of the project is to investigate the specificity of the growing up process in young people with disabled siblings. The functioning of adolescents with disabled siblings as a person growing up in three environments will be examined: family, peers and school.