The realities of problem‐solving for emerging‐adult siblings of individuals with schizophrenia

• Published date: 01 December 2023
• Author: Jillian M. Graves,Christina N. Marsack‐Topolewski,Keith Chan
• Date: 01 December 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12850

RESEARCH

The realities of problem-solving for emerging-adult

siblings of individuals with schizophrenia

JillianM.Graves| ChristinaN.Marsack-Topolewski| KeithChan

School of Social Work, Eastern Michigan

University in Ypsilanti, MI

Correspondence

Jillian M. Graves, School of Social Work,

Eastern Michigan University, 206H Everett

L. Marshall Building, Ypsilanti, MI 48197,

USA.

Email: jgrave14@emich.edu

Abstract

Objective: This researchers examined how emerging-adult

siblings of people with schizophrenia navigate problem-

solving and decision-making.

Background: Navigating more complex problems is a criti-

cal part of emerging adult development, although it can be

complicated by stress, conflict, lack of self-efficacy, and

lack of family support. Understanding the development of

problem-solving and decision-making of emerging-adult

siblings of people with schizophrenia development of these

key competencies can aid in understanding how they navi-

gate adulthood while contending with a stressful family

environment.

Method: In-depth interviews with 23 individuals between

18 and 30 years of age were conducted to explore problem-

solving, decision-making, and family relationships.

Results: Findings suggest that participants who had sup-

portive family or romantic relationships felt as if they were

able to resolve their problems. They were likely to use cog-

nitive strategies or advice from other people to resolve

their issues. Participants who experienced a lack of support

appeared to have more difficulty problem-solving and

decision-making.

Conclusion: Emerging-adult siblings of individuals with

schizophrenia who had adequate family or spousal/partner

support reported being more successful in formulating a

problem-solving strategy than participants as opposed to

those who felt more isolated.

Implications: The study has implications for future

researchers, such as the examination of other developmen-

tal stages and the need to examine why some emerging-

adult siblings were able to develop supportive romantic

relationships more easily than participants who had simi-

larly conflictual or ambivalent familial relationships.

Received: 5 October 2021Revised: 6 November 2022Accepted: 26 December 2022

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12850

© 2023 National Council on Family Relations.

2958 Family Relations. 2023;72:2958–2974.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

KEYWORDS

emerging adulthood, problem-solving, schizophrenia, siblings, well-being

Many emerging-adult siblings (EAS) of people with schizophrenia have experienced significant

chronic stress related to their family member’s mental illness (Leith et al., 2018). They may be

subject to substantial issues of parental neglect, shame, sorrow, burnout, and a lack of social

support (Avcıo

glu et al., 2019). When these EAS have been studied, their psychosocial develop-

ment has rarely been a focus of literature (Graves, 2016) even though chronic stress can influ-

ence emerging adults’mental health (Leith et al., 2018). Stress (Friedman et al., 2017) and

the resulting mental health issues and problem-solving abilities are mutually influential

(Zhang, et al., 2018). Given family changes, stress, and instability that these EAS may face,

understanding how their problem-solving and decision-making capacities develop may yield

important insights into ways that their mental health influences the trajectory of their emerging

adult development.

For purposes of this article, problem-solving is defined as the ability to assess, define, find

solutions, set goals, and evaluate outcomes (Artistico et al., 2019). It requires the use of cogni-

tive domains mediated through emotional and social contexts to develop solutions that achieve

a desired goal (Artistico et al., 2010). Decision-making is part of problem-solving and is consid-

ered the moment in which a choice is made to achieve a goal (Fischer et al., 2012). Emerging

adulthood is a critical time to develop problem-solving and decision-making skills because it is

a time of flexibility and of acquisition of habits and the autonomy required during this develop-

mental period (Vannucci, 2018).

Emotional and instrumental support is important in supporting problem-solving in two

main ways. First, friends and family can model ways of developing a strategy to solve a

problem (i.e., help them think through the process of solving a problem) or they can provide

practical support (e.g., tell them how they should resolve a problem). Second, they can provide

emotional support that aids with a “reflective stage of information processing”

(Szkody et al., 2020, p. 2), which can be associated with helping someone process and appraise a

situation. Problem-solving and decision-making can be affected by stress, interpersonal tensions,

lack of support, emotional dysregulation, and, in general, factors that affectwell-being (Birditt

et al., 2020). EAS have been found to be more likely to experience factors thatnegatively affect

well-being (Avcıo

glu et al., 2019), which may influence their capacity for problem-solving.

Resolving problems and making decisions become salient in emerging adulthood because of

the need to adopt new adult responsibilities and roles, including working, higher education, inti-

mate relationships, and financial independence (Arnett, 2015). When these developmental fac-

tors and family stressors occur at the same time, the ability to resolve important decisions and

problems may become more difficult and, in turn, negatively influence the developmental tra-

jectory. Understanding the in-depth experience of having a sibling with schizophrenia and navi-

gating problem-solving in emerging adulthood will help highlight important areas of concerns.

The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of the intersection between experiences

of having a sibling with schizophrenia and the development of problem-solving and decision-

making capacities during emerging adulthood.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Emerging adult development and problem-solving

Emerging adulthood is a transitional period of development, occurring between the ages of

18 and 30years, when many individuals seek autonomy and strive to resolve problems

PROBLEM-SOLVING FOR EMERGING-ADULT SIBLINGS2959