Flying in a V formation: themes of (in)equity, reality, and togetherness in adult siblings’ narrative explanations of shared parental caregiving

ABSTRACT

Guided by communicated narrative sense-making, the present study explored the themes that characterize adult siblings’ stories about their experiences with sharing care of aging parents. Interviews with 20 adult siblings revealed the varied and emotional nature of their shared parental caregiving stories. Adult siblings primarily constructed meaning of their caregiving experiences by drawing upon three overarching narratives: (1) the narrative of (in)equity, (2) the narrative of ideal versus real, and (3) the narrative of interconnectedness. These findings highlight the need for adult siblings providing care for their parents to work together as a team, exercise empathy in their interactions, and express gratitude for one another’s contributions. Several practical applications are discussed that can help siblings manage and overcome the relational challenges associated with caring for a parent.

KEYWORDS:

• Family caregiving
• adult sibling relationships
• narrative theory

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to sincerely thank editor Kathy Miller and the two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments and suggestions during the revision process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.