Coping Strategies among Siblings of Children with Special Needs

Mahadevi Waddar, Swellen Cardozo

Abstract: The purpose of our study is to understand the care giving responsibilities of siblings dealing with a brother or sister with disability in relation to their internal and external locus of control they adopt in such a situation and the coping strategies they develop as a result. Hence the present study is an effort to study the effect of internal and external locus of control on coping strategies among siblings of children with special needs.60 samples were selected of which 37 were girls and 23 were boys from different locations of Goa. The results revealed a significant difference between Siblings of children with special needs having internal locus of control and external locus of control in their coping strategies.

Keywords: Siblings, Locus of control, confronting coping, distancing, self-controlling