A Case Study on Sibling Relational Problem: Its Clinical Significance in Managing A Dyslexic Adolescent with Mild Depressive Disorder

Abstract

This case study is about a 15-year-old girl who has been diagnosed as dyslexia, developed mild major depression within the past one year. The precipitating factor that lead to her depression was her sore relationship with her younger sibling. Both of them had differences in terms of parents’ preferences as well as school performances but the younger sibling’s anger issues had propagated the rift between them. The intervention used in managing this case was adapted from the Siblings Are Special by Sakuma et al (2020)[i], a special programme which is to help alleviate the anger and frustration that the siblings had on each other. These 5 session interventions had leisure activities that helped them to overcome their ongoing conflicts. Parents were only involved in the last 2 sessions in order to promote positive parenting.

[i] Sakuma, K. L. K., Feinberg, M. E., McHale, S. M., Updegraff, K. A., Umaña-Taylor, A. J. 2020. Siblings Are Special. In Designing Evidence-Based Public Health and Prevention Programs: Expert Program Developers Explain the Science and Art. 1^st edition. Routledge:125.

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/JSKM-2022-2002-04