SIBS-MI: a feasibility and acceptability study of the SIBS intervention programme for siblings and parents of children with mental illness in the United Kingdom
Children (referred to as "siblings") aged 8 to 17 years, along with at least one of their parents, who have a child in the family receiving care from CAMHS for an eating disorder.
This is an exploratory pilot intervention study conducted in CAMHS to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention targeting siblings and parents of children and young people with eating disorders. If recruitment proves challenging, the study may be expanded to include siblings of children with other conditions (including mood disorders, anxiety, and psychosis) for which there is ethical approval. The aim is to recruit a total of approximately 48 sibling and parent participants (24 sibling participants and 24 parent participants) to take part in four SIBS groups across CAMHS sites. Additionally, approximately six healthcare professionals (HCPs) who deliver the SIBS intervention will be recruited to participate in an individual qualitative interview and answer a questionnaire. The SIBS intervention comprises five sessions, which will be delivered over two days (2.5 hours per day), approximately one week apart. Two main themes provide the basic components of the intervention: disorder knowledge and emotional experiences. These themes are discussed in relation to the overarching component, family communication. The intervention sessions alternate between parallel group sessions for siblings and parents, and joint sibling–parent dialogues. Sessions 1, 2, and 4 are parallel (separate) group sessions for siblings and parents. Sessions 3 and 5 are sibling-parent dialogues in which each sibling and parent talk together, separate from other participants. The sibling group sessions focus on siblings’ knowledge of the diagnosis and on their emotional experiences, drawing on cognitive–behavioural principles about how thoughts and behaviours influence emotions. Siblings also formulate questions and wishes related to the diagnosis and family challenges, which form the basis for discussions in the parent group and the joint sibling–parent dialogues. The parent sessions focus on communication training related to diagnosis knowledge and siblings’ emotional c
Sibling participants: 1. Aged 8 to 17 years of age 2. For siblings aged 8 to 15 years, parents must be able to provide free and informed consent, and the child must assent to participate 3. If the sibling is 16 years or older, they must be able to provide free and informed consent themselves 4. Have a sibling who receives care from CAMHS for an eating disorder. 5. The sibling may be biological, step, or adopted/foster sibling 6. Sufficient understanding of English to be able to give assent (<16 years) or consent (>16 years) and to take part in the intervention 7. One parent is available to participate in the study Parent participants: 1. Able to provide free and informed consent to participate 2. Have a child who receives care from CAMHS for an eating disorder. 3. Have at least one other child (sibling of the child or young person with a mental illness, including biological, step, or adopted/foster sibling) aged 8 to 17 years of age, who is available to participate in the intervention 4. Sufficient understanding of English to be able to give informed consent and to participate in the intervention, and to give assent for their child to participate, if the child is younger than 16 years old If recruitment proves challenging, the study may expand to include siblings and parents of children with other conditions (including mood disorders, anxiety, and psychosis) which is approved by the Research Ethics Committee (REC). HCP participants: 1. Being employed in CAMHS, and has delivered at least one SIBS group
Sibling participants: Currently receiving care in CAMHS for their own diagnosis of a mental illness