Sibling Caretaking: Helpful but When Is It Too Much?

"Many children and adolescents have caregiving responsibilities for their siblings. Parents often rely on sibling caregivers to supervise, nurture, and teach their siblings, prepare meals, and ensure activities like household chores and homework are completed. A recent study based on nationally representative U.S. data showed that about 30 percent of adolescents with younger siblings had some responsibility for sibling caretaking."

"Sibling caretaking can serve an important role in families. Relying on siblings can alleviate childcare concerns for parents who work or may not have a second parent present to help. An older sibling can also play an important caregiving role when parents are limited in their ability to care for their children due to adverse events like hospitalization, substance use, or poor mental health."

Many children and adolescents perform sibling caregiving tasks such as supervising, nurturing, teaching, preparing meals, and overseeing chores and homework. About 30 percent of adolescents with younger siblings report some responsibility for sibling caretaking. Families rely on sibling caregiving to address childcare needs when parents work, are absent, or face hardship including hospitalization, substance use, or poor mental health. Reliance on sibling caregiving occurs across income levels and is more common in larger families and when caring for siblings with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Older siblings, those with larger age gaps, and sisters are more likely to provide care. Cultural traditions, including familism in Latino/a families, increase prevalence.

Read at Psychology Today