title: Family Strategies to Support Siblings of Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the strategies families report using to address the needs and concerns of siblings of children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary semantic analysis was conducted of 86 qualitative interviews with family members of children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing HSCT at 4 HSCT centers and supplemented with a primary analysis of 38 additional targeted qualitative interviews (23 family members, 15 health care professionals) conducted at the primary center. Analyses focused on sibling issues and the strategies families use to address these issues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sibling issues identified included: (1) feeling negative effects of separation from the patient and caregiver(s); (2) experiencing difficult emotions; (3) being faced with additional responsibilities or burdens; (4) lacking information; and (5) feeling excluded. Families and health care providers reported the following strategies to support siblings: (1) sharing information; (2) using social support and help offered by family or friends; (3) taking siblings to the hospital; (4) communicating virtually; (5) providing special events or gifts or quality time for siblings; (6) offering siblings a defined role to help the family during the transplant process; (7) switching between parents at the hospital; (8) keeping the sibling's life constant; and, (9) arranging sibling meetings with a certified child life specialist or school counselor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding the above strategies and sharing them with other families in similar situations can begin to address sibling issues during HSCT and can improve hospital-based, family-centered care efforts.
authors.affiliation: East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Taylor E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Kristopher A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hendershot
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory School of Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Margie D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.affiliation: Haemotology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory School of Medicine, and.|Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haight
authors.affiliation: Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplantation, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stegenga
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.|Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alderfer
authors.affiliation: Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia; and.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia; and.|Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Switchenko
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Nursing Research and Quality Outcomes, Washington, District of Columbia.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hinds
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory School of Medicine, and rpentz@emory.edu.|Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia; and.
authors.forename: Rebecca D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Pentz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012380:Role; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult