Sibling guardians: Obstacles, opportunities, and emergent identities
Class
Article
Graduation Year
2018
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies Department
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Kristina Scharp
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
For many, siblings are some of the some of the closest and long-lasting relationships people will have over the course of their lifetime. Unfortunately, siblings might have to take on unexpected responsibility when they are required to become a sibling guardian when their primary caregivers are unavailable (e.g., death, incarceration, etc.). This tumultuous transition is a major disruption for a family as siblings have to take on new roles, adjust to different power dynamics, and navigate parenthood unexpectedly. One way people make sense of these major disruptions is by sharing their stories with others. Indeed, narratives both reflect and construct a person’s well-being. Thus, taking an interpretive narrative approach, we engaged in a narrative thematic analysis to explore the types of identities sibling guardians construct in their online narratives about their transition to parenthood as well as the specific obstacles and opportunities they perceive. Implications and applications will be discussed.
Location
South Atrium
Start Date
4-13-2017 3:00 PM
End Date
4-13-2017 4:15 PM
Sibling guardians: Obstacles, opportunities, and emergent identities
South Atrium
For many, siblings are some of the some of the closest and long-lasting relationships people will have over the course of their lifetime. Unfortunately, siblings might have to take on unexpected responsibility when they are required to become a sibling guardian when their primary caregivers are unavailable (e.g., death, incarceration, etc.). This tumultuous transition is a major disruption for a family as siblings have to take on new roles, adjust to different power dynamics, and navigate parenthood unexpectedly. One way people make sense of these major disruptions is by sharing their stories with others. Indeed, narratives both reflect and construct a person’s well-being. Thus, taking an interpretive narrative approach, we engaged in a narrative thematic analysis to explore the types of identities sibling guardians construct in their online narratives about their transition to parenthood as well as the specific obstacles and opportunities they perceive. Implications and applications will be discussed.