The relationships between siblings are the most long-lasting in families. When one of the siblings is a person with intellectual disabilities (ID), this relationship assumes an even more important role since this brother/sister will most likely become the disabled individual’s main caregiver. This pilot study had two aims: to explore the experience as an adolescent or adult sibling of a person with ID and to understand the perceptions of these siblings about quality of life as a sibling and about family quality of life. In-depth interviews were conducted with six siblings. The results showed that the experience of a sibling is positive and the acceptance process is of extreme importance. The domains which, from the sibling perspective, contribute to family quality of life are as follows: Family relationships, Acceptance, Health, Influence of values, Financial well-being, Support from others, and Leisure activities. The implications of these findings for intervention are pointed out.

兄弟姐妹之间的关系是家庭中最持久的。当其中一个兄弟姐妹是智障人士 (ID) 时，这种关系将扮演更重要的角色，因为这个兄弟/姐妹很可能会成为残障人士的主要照顾者。这项试点研究有两个目的：探索身为智障人士的青少年或成年兄弟姐妹的经历，并了解这些兄弟姐妹对兄弟姐妹生活质量和家庭生活质量的看法。对六个兄弟姐妹进行了深入访谈。结果表明，兄弟姐妹的经历是积极的，接受过程极其重要。从兄弟姐妹的角度来看，有助于家庭生活质量的领域如下：家庭关系、接受度、健康、价值观的影响、财务状况、他人的支持和休闲活动。指出了这些发现对干预的影响。