"I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters and brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at."
Maya Angelou, American poet
Adult Sibling Loss: Development
Sibling engagement is obligatory during childhood because they reside in the same home or in close proximity. As they age, siblings become independent due to life transitions and their relationship dynamic is more of a choice. These transitions may cause levels of disconnect between siblings and impact how they perceive and engage with each other. This disconnect is a common occurrence and may intermittently continue until death resulting in difficulty managing grief and remorse due to the inability to resolve problems within the relationship.
In addition to life transitions, sibling connections are affected by relationship types. If siblings have supportive, longing, or competitive relationships, it will manifest in positive interactions whether the contact is frequent or not. If the relationship is apathetic or hostile, siblings will be less supportive and have infrequent or no contact at all. Sibling loss can invoke acute grief responses ranging from intense sorrow and despair to disinterest and joy depending on the relationship. Due to the uniqueness of the sibling relationship, no two siblings will share the same grief experience.
