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Background: Typically-developing siblings of individuals with Down Syndrome often experience complex emotions towards their sibling. This study explored how social support, personal resources (optimism, sense of coherence [SOC]), and individual variables (sex, religious affiliation, siblings' functionality) may impact emerging adult siblings' emotions toward their sibling with Down Syndrome., Methods: Participants were 292 siblings of individuals with DS ranging in age from 18-27 (M=21.54, SD=2.50). Participants completed self-report questionnaires exploring optimism, SOC, support, and acceptance., Results: Higher levels of support and optimism were positively associated with positive emotions, and higher SOC with lower levels of negative emotions. Siblings' functionality and religious affiliation interacted with variables to predict emotions., Conclusions: This study contributes to a greater understanding of how emotions may play a role in sibling relations during the emerging adulthood stage. It also provides unique insight into how religious affiliation may be associated with more positive outcomes for siblings., Competing Interests: xDeclaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Raising a child with special needs challenges mothers in complicated ways, yet, alongside these difficulties, there is evidence for maternal post-crisis growth. Social support is one element that may contribute to growth., Aims: This study explores the relationship between social support and post-crisis growth, examines type of disability as a mediating variable between support and growth, and, looks at the relations between subtypes of support and growth., Methods & Procedures: Participants included 99 mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 119 mothers of children with Down Syndrome (DS). Mothers completed three self-report questionnaires: demographic, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Stress-Related Growth Scale., Results: Social support was found to predict maternal post-crisis growth with type of disability serving as a mediating variable between them, such that social support contributes to post-crisis growth only among mothers of children with ASD. In addition, results revealed various correlations between types of support and types of growth., Conclusions & Implications: The findings indicate that compared to DS, characteristics of ASD may contribute to less maternal post-crisis growth, and that social support serves as an important predictor for growth in this group. Finding ways to increase social support for mothers of children with ASD thus gains additional importance., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)