One-third of young people in low- and middle-income countries have lost a sibling
One of the first studies to examine sibling death in dozens of low- and middle-income countries finds that roughly one-third of their young women have lost at least one sibling before the age of 25.
As many as half of respondents in multiple African countries had lost at least one sibling.
“There’s extensive social science research on family dynamics and childhood emphasizing siblings as key agents of young people’s socialization, so it’s concerning how frequently youth experience their traumatic loss,” said Emily Smith-Greenaway, associate professor of sociology and spatial sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
While there is a growing body of research examining the impact of sibling death on children and families, most of it focuses on wealthy countries in North America and Europe. Smith-Greenaway and co-author Abigail Weitzman of the University of Texas at Austin sought to address this gap by studying the experiences of women from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The researchers found that in all 43 studied countries, on average, one-third of the young women had experienced the death of a sibling.
The emotional and psychological impact of sibling death
Psychologists describe sibling relationships as providing important opportunities early in life for cognitive development, the development of language and emotional understanding, and a feeling of belonging.
These relationships are also typically the longest-lasting family tie.
For these reasons, the experience of sibling loss may significantly disrupt the life course trajectory for the surviving siblings.
Even in high-income countries, surviving siblings in families that suffer the loss of a child have been called “the forgotten grievers.”
The authors point to prior research findings that a sibling’s death can elevate young people’s risk of health problems and negatively influence their transition to adulthood. It may even have a greater impact on young people’s emotional and behavioral problems and health risks than a parent’s death.
Multiple sibling losses could exacerbate those challenges.
“Our research also reveals quite variable experiences of sibling death,” Smith-Greenaway said. “Some people experienced the death of an older sibling versus a younger sibling. Some experienced this loss when they’re very young, and others when they’re exiting adolescence and entering adulthood.
“Our study sheds light on these differences in hopes that future research will acknowledge these intimate losses as the impressionable life course experiences that they are.”