Those who have a brother or sister with a mental illness or a low IQ can be influenced by their illness, according to a new study, possibly putting them at higher risk for bouts of depression and other challenges during their lives.
Data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a 46-year report that includes 5,800 pairs of siblings, was used for the study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Georgia State University focused on 351 men and women who had at least one brother or sister with a low IQ (85 or below) or a mental illness that included a depressive or anxiety disorder. A group of 791 people who didnâ??t have a mentally disabled sibling acted as a control group.