Disability or chronic illness in a child creates stressors and new demands for all family members. Most research has focused on the parental perspective. There are little data from children themselves regarding daily coping responses related to living with a brother or sister with disabilities. In this study, 46 siblings of children with disabilities responded verbally to a sentence-completion activity regarding coping responses to stressful situations of everyday life. Content analysis of these reports revealed coping responses according to four categories of modes of reaction: proactive, interactive, internally reactive, and nonactive. Such recognition of siblings' daily coping responses is a first step in the promotion of positive adaptation and health.
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