SIBLING REACTIONS TO MENTAL HANDICAP: A COMPARISON OF THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF MONGOL CHILDREN

Abstract

SUMMARY: Parents and teachers completed behavioural rating scales on 89 sisters and 85 brothers of 104 mongol children living at home.Disturbance in the boys, known to be not significantly more frequent than in controls, was related to family size and social class.Disturbance in the girls, known to be more frequent than in controls, was related also to type of school, birth order and age in relation to the mongol child.The conclusion drawn is that the presence of a mongol child in the home is associated with deviant behaviour as assessed by parents and teachers and educational failure in elder sisters who are probably carrying a large share of the burden of care.