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The validity of a measure of adjustment in siblings of children with developmental and physical disabilities: a brief report.

Stian OrmTorun VatneYngvild B HaukelandWendy K SilvermanKrister Fjermestad
Published in: Developmental neurorehabilitation (2021)
Background: Few questionnaires are tailored for siblings of children with disabilities. The Negative Adjustment Scale (NAS) was developed to measure siblings' adjustment, but has not yet been validated.Objective: To investigate the factor structure and convergent validity of the NAS.Method: We examined the validity of the NAS in terms of factor structure and convergent validity against a general mental health measure. The sample comprised 107 siblings (M age = 11.5 years, SD = 2.1, 53.8% boys) of children with disabilities.Results: We confirmed a one-factor structure for the NAS. Convergent validity was demonstrated through significant correlations (r=.29-.44) with sibling externalizing and internalizing mental health difficulties.Conclusion: The NAS holds promise as a measure tailored for the assessment of sibling's adjustment.
Keyphrases
  • mental health
  • young adults
  • intellectual disability
  • mental illness