Many children and adolescents have caregiving responsibilities for their siblings. Parents often rely on sibling caregivers to supervise, nurture, and teach their siblings, prepare meals, and ensure activities like household chores and homework are completed. A recent study based on nationally representative U.S. data showed that about 30 percent of adolescents with younger siblings had some responsibility for sibling caretaking.

Sibling caretaking can serve an important role in families. Relying on siblings can alleviate childcare concerns for parents who work or may not have a second parent present to help. An older sibling can also play an important caregiving role when parents are limited in their ability to care for their children due to adverse events like hospitalization, substance use, or poor mental health.

Nationally representative U.S. data show that low- and high-income households are just as likely to rely on sibling caregiving. Many parents are also reliant on sibling caregiving in larger families and for assistance with the care of siblings with intellectual and developmental disabilities or chronic illnesses.

Older siblings, especially those with a wider age gap from their younger siblings, and sisters tend to provide care for other siblings in the family. In families with a mix of brothers and sisters, older siblings are more likely to help care for their younger siblings of the same

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