Loss of Siblings through Death

Abstract

The terminal illness, dying, or death of a sibling can have a profound effect on the surviving siblings in a family, regardless of the age at which it occurs. Although siblings can be lost to one another in other ways, such as adoption, split custody arrangements, or inadvertent separations, only sibling loss through death will be considered in this chapter. Loss of a sibling in childhood is not as common in our society as it is in underdeveloped nations, but nevertheless it does occur in many families. The likelihood of sibling death increases until old age, when the great majority of individuals will have experienced the loss of one or more siblings.