Free Essay: Fathers' and Siblings' Responses to Disabled Family Members

Fathers and siblings who have children, brothers, and sisters with disabilities are affected differently and also respond differently. Therefore, my beliefs are both challenged and confirmed based on the reading. Their behavioural response might be influenced by cultural beliefs, individual personality and attitude, physical outlook, and some studies include gender and age. Adverse effects caused by having a disabled child or sibling include psychological and emotional challenges. Emotional challenges to a sibling may be influenced by a number of factors such as; the age and gender of the siblings, population of children in the family, and the reaction of the parent to the disabled child.

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Habitually, fathers are perceived to undertake an instrumental role while mothers an expressive role regarding a childs growth. Assuming an instrumental role refers to the capability to indicate an unemotional response, and solving problems while expressive role includes focusing on feelings, emotional needs, and communication. Restriction of emotions is correlated to depression, anger, anxiety, and fear of intimacy. The incapacity to indicate individual emotions may lead to challenges within a family, and more likely in a family with a child who has a disability. This variable influences the challenges some men confront while curbing the strong emotions after realizing the disability of his own child and the process of mourning is interfered with.

The excerpt indicates that there is a disproportional attention of fathers to children with intellectual disability, to the omission of children with various growth disabilities. Fathers tend to react less emotionally and concentrate on likely long terms concerns while mothers react more emotionally. Fathers distinguish the realization as an instrumental catastrophe while mothers view it as an expressive catastrophe. However, some fathers assume expressive roles as some mothers assume instrumental roles.

Siblings may suffer from survivors guilt because they live a normal life which is different from their disabled brothers or sisters. Undergoing such guilt for lacking any disability may lead to damaging ones efforts. Moreover, siblings may endure excess responsibilities by taking care of their disabled siblings based on the number of children in the family. The more the responsibility is shared the less workforce on each sibling. The enthusiasm to care of their disabled siblings becomes a challenge during adolescence. Taking care of a disabled sibling may lead to resentment and anger. The anger is brought about when his or her disabled sibling is teased. According to the reading, siblings may fear for the future since they may think they will get the disability in their adult life. The disability of a sibling may influence the choice of career due to the constant caring whereby they pursue helping professions.

The attitudes displayed by fathers and siblings towards their disabled children should be addressed in particular ways which should reduce the psychological and emotional stress. Fathers should not be scared to show their emotions. The denial features that affect most men adversely influence their relationships with children. A bad relationship between a disabled child and a father will lead to emotional trauma for the child. Siblings should communicate with their parents more often and openly discuss the challenges that he or she might be going through more so during adolescence. This is to avoid the preservation of anger and resentment which will also help in building the familys relationships. Both should access services and information, join social groups, and extensively read materials that discuss about living with a child or sibling who has disabilities. In the modern society, this has been facilitated with the ease access to internet. These concerns should be confronted to maintain a familys cohesiveness.