Depression and Quality of Life in Siblings of Children With Cancer After Group Intervention Participation: A Randomized Control Trial

Objective The objective of this study was to (1) assess the effects of a group intervention called Siblings Coping Together on siblings' psychosocial adjustment compared with controls; (2) explore the potential moderating effect of siblings' gender; and (3) investigate whether the intervention was more effective for siblings with more depressive symptoms at baseline. Methods This was a repeated measure, parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two groups. Seventy-five healthy siblings (7-16 years old, 41 males) participated. Both groups had 8 weekly 2-hr sessions. Intervention sessions had psychoeducational, social, and therapeutic problem-solving goals taught through games and crafts (n = 41); controls (n = 34) had games and crafts only. Self-reported symptoms of depression (Children's Depression Inventory, CDI) and self- and proxy-reported quality of life (QOL) (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, PedsQL) were obtained at baseline, postintervention, and 3 months later. Multivariable analyses with a mixed effects model were performed. Results No significant main group effect or group × time interactions were found for any of the scales assessed. Significant improvement over time was found for total CDI (p