Birth Of Sibling Research Articles

Siblings and the Bereaved Self: Identity (Re)Construction Following the Death of a Brother or Sister

Having and being a sibling can be vital in shaping one’s identity. Using data from a qualitative study exploring experiences of sibling bereavement over the life course, this article questions how the death and subsequent loss of a brother or sister impacts upon the way that surviving siblings (continue to) construct their sense of self. It explores how people re-assess the established similarities and differences they shared with living siblings and re-negotiate their positioning within the chronological sibling birth order. In doing so, this article emphasises the sociological importance of lateral kinship ties with siblings, demonstrating that being and having a sibling can have lasting implications for the way that people perceive and present themselves, even after death. As such, the article concludes that the dead can continue to maintain an important and influential, albeit liminal, position in the webs of relationships in which people are embedded.

Preliminary isotopic assessment of weaning in bonobos shows evidence for extended nursing, sibling competition and invested first-time mothers.

Although considered a hallmark in early ontogeny, weaning from breastmilk is difficult to monitor in wild primates and weaning ages remain unknown for wild bonobos (Pan Paniscus). Here, we calculated inter-birth intervals from demographic data and measured the isotopic offsets (Δ15N and Δ13C) between mother (n = 17) and offspring (n = 28) fecal sample pairs (n = 131, total n = 246) in the LuiKotale bonobos to assess nutritional weaning for the first time. We tested the effects of infant age, female parity, and sibling competition on Δ15N and Δ13C values. We found bonobo inter-birth intervals ranging from 2.2 to 7.3 years (x̄ = 4.7 ± 1.3 years) at LuiKotale. The Δ15N and Δ13C values suggested nutritional weaning on average by 6.6 and 7.0 years of age respectively, considerably exceeding weaning ages reported for chimpanzees (P. troglodytes) using the same approach. Our Δ13C data suggested that the number of offspring present affected nursing, with first-time mothers nursing more and possibly longer. The Δ15N and Δ13C values decreased with the arrival of the next sibling, suggesting sibling competition reduces milk access. Nevertheless, offspring may continue nursing 2.5-3 years after the birth of the next sibling, corresponding well with observations on low infant mortality. In conclusion, bonobo mothers provide remarkably enduring materna l support in the form of nursing concurrently to several offspring.

An early-life challenge: becoming an older sibling in wild mandrills.

In monotocous mammals, most individuals experience the birth of a younger sibling. This period may induce losses in maternal care and can be physiologically, energetically and emotionally challenging for the older sibling, yet has rarely been studied in wild primates. We used behavioural data collected from a natural population of mandrills to investigate changes in maternal care and mother-juvenile relationship throughout the transition to siblinghood (TTS), by comparing juveniles who recently experienced the birth of a younger sibling, to juveniles who did not. We found that the TTS was associated with an abrupt cessation of the weaning process for the juvenile, and to a decrease in maternal affiliation. Juveniles' reactions were sex-specific, as males associated less with their mother, while females tended to groom their mother more often after the birth of their sibling. Despite the substantial loss of maternal care, juveniles did not show an increase in conflict or anxiety-related behaviours. This study contributes to explain why short interbirth intervals often pose a risk to juveniles' survival in monotocous primates. Our results contrast existing studies and further highlight the importance of examining the TTS in species and populations with various life histories and ecologies.

Early-Life Origins of Wartime Behaviour: The Irish Potato Famine and Desertion in the American Civil War

How does pre-war trauma impact battlefield behaviour? I study Irish troops in the American Civil War who experienced the Potato Famine over a decade prior. I use birth cohorts, sibling birth order, adult height, and the geography of last names in Ireland to measure famine exposure within the Irish group at the level of individual soldiers. Each strategy indicates that famine exposure increases desertion. Developing and testing observable implications from theory, I show that heightened risk aversion is the most plausible mechanism. Once soldiers are socialized into active combat through collective risk-sharing the famine effect dissipates. This research contributes to our understanding of the causes of contentious behaviour, how the behavioural legacies of atrocities play-out sans partisanship, and the importance of pre-migration experiences.

Competitive asymmetries, birthing asynchrony and sibling rivalry in a social lizard

Family life often involves interactions between individuals who have different fitness goals, leading to conflict. Resolution of this conflict is key for the stabilisation of family life. Here, we used a lizard, Liopholis whitii, that lives in facultative family groups to characterise the nature and extent of sibling conflict and test the role that individual and litter characteristics play in shaping conflict between family members. We found significant variation in conflict between family groups, specifically in relation to siblings. In approximately half of the litters, siblings were aggressive towards one another, while in the other half of litters, there was no aggression observed between siblings. There were no differences between aggressive and non-aggressive litters in the key factors predicted to mediate conflict, including sex, offspring size, or litter size. However, in aggressive litters, the maximum amount of within-litter conflict decreased with an increase in the spread between births of siblings. First-born offspring were significantly more likely to be aggressive towards their siblings compared to second and third born offspring. While one offspring was usually the target of that aggression, we found no evidence that any individual-level factor predicted who received aggression. In aggressive litters, aggressive offspring spent a greater amount of time with their mother compared to non-aggressive offspring. Similar asymmetries in the amount of time offspring spent with their mother between siblings were also observed in non-aggressive litters. Combined, our results suggest that birth order is the main driver of sibling conflict in aggressive litters in this facultatively social lizard species, suggesting that birthing asynchrony may provide females with a mechanism to manage conflict.Significance statementConflict is a ubiquitous aspect of family life; it occurs between adults, between parents and offspring as well as between siblings. We show that the extent of conflict between siblings varies considerably within and between families in a lizard that exhibits prolonged associations between parents and offspring. We found no effects of offspring sex or size on within or between litter conflict. Instead, the number of days that passed between the birth of offspring appears to be the main factor that influences how much conflict there is between siblings. Furthermore, birth order was the main factor predicting which offspring was dominant. Combined this suggests that birthing asynchrony, the ability of females to spread out births across multiple days, may play a crucial role in the management of conflict in this system. As the moderation of conflict is crucial for the stabilisation of family life, these results provide important insights into the early evolution of social life.

Sibling Birth Order Among Undergraduate University Students and Its Influence on Personality Traits: Some Implications for Education

This cross-sectional survey explores the influence of sibling birth order on university students’ personality traits. The sample consisted of 184, predominantly Chinese, Malaysian undergraduates of a private university in Malaysia. The Big-Five personality questionnaire (John & Benet-Martinez, 1998) was used for data collection, while Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and path analysis from SEM were used to analyse the data. The CFA results show a significant interrelationship between the traits of extroversion and agreeableness but no significant direct effect of birth order on personality traits. The results are consistent with the previous studies in Malaysia and around the globe and suggest the likelihood of other factors (e.g., social culture and environment) possibly influencing student personality. Subsequent research that employs various Malaysian samples is needed to further test the applicability of Sulloway’s theory in explaining the influence or effect of sibling birth order in Malaysia.

Sibling Death in Childhood and Early Adulthood and Risk of Early-Onset Cardiovascular Disease

Sibling death is a highly traumatic event, but empirical evidence on the association of sibling death in childhood and early adulthood with subsequent risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains limited. To evaluate the association between sibling death in the early decades of life and subsequent risk of incident early-onset CVD. This population-based cohort study included 2 098 659 individuals born in Denmark from 1978 to 2018. Follow-up started at age 1 year or the date of the first sibling's birth, whichever occurred later, and it ended at the first diagnosis of CVD, the date of death, emigration, or December 31, 2018, whichever came first. Data analyses were conducted from November 1, 2021, through January 10, 2022. The death of a sibling. The outcome was early-onset CVD. Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs. This study included 2 098 659 individuals (1 076 669 [51.30%] male; median [IQR] age at death of sibling, 11.48 [4.68-21.32] years). During the median (IQR) follow-up of 17.52 (8.85-26.05) years, 1286 and 76 862 individuals in the bereaved and nonbereaved groups, respectively, were diagnosed with CVD. Sibling death in childhood and early adulthood was associated with a 17% increased risk of overall CVD (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.10-1.23; cumulative incidence in bereaved individuals, 1.96% [1.61%-2.34%]; cumulative incidence in nonbereaved individuals at age 41 years, 1.35% [1.34%-1.37%]; cumulative incidence difference: 0.61% [95% CI, 0.24%-0.98%]). Increased risks were also observed for most type-specific CVDs, in particular for myocardial infarction (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.12-2.46), ischemic heart disease (HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.22-1.90), and heart failure (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.00-2.26). The association was observed whether the sibling died due to CVD (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 2.04-3.17) or non-CVD (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.06-1.19) causes. The increased risk of CVD was more pronounced for individuals who lost a twin or younger sibling (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.15-1.36) than an elder sibling (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.20). In this cohort study of the Danish population, sibling death in childhood and early adulthood was associated with increased risks of overall and most type-specific early-onset CVDs, with the strength of associations varying by cause of death and age difference between sibling pairs. The findings highlight the need for extra attention and support to the bereaved siblings to reduce CVD risk later in life.

Founder's birth order and triple bottom line in B2B SMEs

Leveraging upper-echelon and post-traumatic childhood experience theories, this study analyses the influence of CEOs' birth order in the family on firms' triple bottom line management. Conducting our study in the B2B market and SME context during the COVID-19 pandemic, we assert that the eldest sibling tends to adopt more prosocial behavior than younger siblings. When first-born individuals become entrepreneurs, their values get reflected in the firm's organizational culture and the strategic choices they make as CEOs. We further suggest a mediating mechanism of a sustainable marketing orientation for sibling birth order and triple bottom line management and a moderating role of CEO childhood trauma experience. Childhood trauma experience moderates the mediating effect of sustainable marketing orientation, i.e., a moderated mediating mechanism. Heeding calls for research in marketing to become more interdisciplinary, we leverage the family science and upper echelon theories to expand the B2B marketing literature.

Homoeopathic Approach to Thumb Sucking in Children

Thumb sucking is a behavioral habit disorder. Thumb sucking is considered as a normal developmental phase but may become a habit in some children. It can be due some insecurities, boredom, and loneliness experienced by the child and may develop after the birth of sibling. Persistent sucking of thumb or fingers in older children is a cause of concern as it may lead to dental malocclusion, soreness of fingers or thumb, and speech difficulties. Homoeopathy offers effective and safe treatment for thumb sucking in children. In this article an attempt is made to explain thumb sucking in children and its homoeopathic management. Keywords: Thumb sucking, Children, Homoeopathy, Habit disorder.

Grandsons of Grandfather Fyodor Nechaev: Pedigrees of Intelligence in the Field of Genealogy of F. M. Dostoevsky (from the Additions to “The Chronicle of the Generations of Dostoevskys”)

The article presents the results of archival research devoted to the study of the Moscow branch of the family tree of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. The object of consideration was the generation of the grandchildren of the grandfather of the writer Fyodor Timofeevich Nechaev: the Dostoevskys (the children of Maria, his daughter from his first marriage), the Shers and the Stavrovskys (the children of the daughters of F. T. Nechaev from his second marriage — Olga and Ekaterina). Biographical data about the relatives and cousins of F. M. Dostoevsky were extracted from parish and consistory metric books stored in the Central State Archive of the City of Moscow. With a few exceptions (Mikhail, Andrey), metric records of the birth of the writer's siblings are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time; in some cases, archival documents allowed correcting inaccuracies that were present in the biographical literature about Dostoevsky. Of the thirteen Sher brothers and sisters, male and female cousins of the writer, the names of seven were not previously mentioned even in the fundamental “Chronicle of the Generations of Dostoevskys” (2012). Of the seven Stavrovsky brothers and sisters, two were also named for the first time. Metric birth records are provided for all twenty of these relatives of Dostoevsky; for those who died in infancy, there are also death records. In four cases, the article published metric records of the wedding of the writer’s male and female cousins. In conclusion, the importance of biographical information about the Shers and the Stavrovskys is emphasized for the study of such an important event in the life of F. M. Dostoevsky in the 1870s, as was the litigation over the inheritance of A. F. Kumanina, the writer's mother's sister and half-sister of Olga Sher and Ekaterina Stavrovskaya (the so-called “the Kumanin heritage case”).

Trigger of twin-fights in captive common marmosets.

Common marmosets usually give birth to twins and form a social group consisting of a breeding couple and pairs of same-aged siblings. The twins may engage in the first agonistic fights between them, twin-fights (TFs), during adolescence. This study investigated the TFs based on records accumulated in our captive colony over 12 years to elucidate the proximate causations that trigger the TFs. We aimed to determine whether the TF onset mainly depended on internal events (such as the onset of puberty) as previously suggested or external events (such as the birth of the younger siblings and the behavioral change of the group members). Although both events usually occur simultaneously, the birth control method (i.e., manipulation of ovulation and interbirth-intervalsby prostaglandin administration to females) could temporally separate these events. A comparison of the onset day and occurrence rate with or without the birth control procedure revealed that TFs were triggered by a combination of internal and external events, that is, external events were the predominant triggers of TF, under the influence of internal events. The timing of TF onset was significantly delayed when the birth of the younger siblings was delayed and the twins grew older under the birth-controlled condition,suggesting that the birth of younger siblings and related behavioral changes of group members, as well as twins' developmental maturation, could trigger TF. Higher TF rates between same-sex twins were consistent with previous studies, reflecting the characteristics of same-sex directed aggression in callitrichines.

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge regarding Hand Hygiene among Primary School Children in selected Rural Community in Dehradun

A descriptive study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge regarding hand hygiene among Primary school Children in selected rural community of Dehradun. A total of 30 primary school children were selected by convenient sampling technique and data was collected by conducting an interview schedule in the month of December 2017. The finding of study revealed the among 30 primary school children 28(93.33%) had good knowledge, 2 (6.67%) had average knowledge and none had below average knowledge regarding hand hygiene. There was no significant association between knowledge regarding hand hygiene among primary school children and selected demographic variables (i.e. age, gender, class, occupation of parents, order of birth and number of siblings).

Behavioural adjustment of children with intellectual disability and their sibling is associated with their sibling relationship quality.

Understanding sibling relationship quality is important, as it is associated with mental health outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. Arguably, these relationships are even more important for individuals with intellectual disability, as siblings can be important sources of care, support, advocacy and friendship for one another. The intellectual disability field, however, has a tendency to assume that the relationship lacks reciprocity, and that it is the sibling with intellectual disability who affects the sibling, and that this effect is somehow 'negative'. We examined whether the behaviour problems and prosocial behaviour of 500 child sibling pairs, where one child has an intellectual disability, were associated with their sibling relationship quality. Measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires and the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire. Family poverty, the gender of both children, birth order and whether the child with intellectual disability had autism or Down syndrome were also included in the analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an adequate model fit for the latent variables measuring sibling relationships. The final structural model found that the prosocial behaviour and internalising problems of the children with intellectual disability, their typically developing siblings' prosocial behaviours and sibling birth order were associated with intimacy-companionship in the sibling relationship. The internalising, externalising and prosocial behaviours of the children with intellectual disability, their siblings' externalising behaviours and sibling birth order were associated with antagonism-quarrelling in the sibling relationship. We found that the behaviours of both the child with intellectual disability and their sibling were associated with both 'positive' and 'negative' dimensions of their sibling relationship. This indicates a bidirectional and reciprocal effect.

Life on the Margins: Movement Between the ‘Canny’ and the ‘Uncanny’—a Requirement for Psychic Growth

Canny and uncanny, like their German equivalents heimlich and unheimlich, have ambiguous double meanings. The relationship between canny, which means familiar, but also hidden threat, and uncanny which means unfamiliar, but strangely expected knowledge, is explored. The author proposes that the uncanny is derived from the reawakening of oedipal phantasies about parental coupling and the birth of siblings. He suggests that psychic growth requires toleration of the uncanny and free movement between it and canny states, corresponding with the oscillation between states, described by Bion, of Ps and D, where this promotes ‘Being’, through the realization of O. Childhood traumatic losses and oedipal anxieties can prevent this movement. This is illustrated by a woman who feared that the emergence of the uncanny would reveal her to be monstrous, through embodying her phantasy of being the ghost of her mother's dead sister and the damaged child of her parents’ disastrous marriage. She was thus unable to allow this free movement and was condemned to ‘life on the margin’. This is contrasted with extracts from Wordsworth's Prelude where ‘spots of time’, corresponding with screen memories, show how the liberation of the uncanny, and its free interchange with the canny, promotes mourning and growth.

Paternal and maternal rejection and Chinese children's internalizing and externalizing problems across the transition to siblinghood: A developmental cascade model of family influence.

This longitudinal study examined the reciprocal associations between paternal and maternal rejection and firstborn children's (Mage =49.9months; 55% boys) behavior problems across the transition to siblinghood in a sample of 120 families recruited from 2016 to 2018 from Shanghai, China. Parental rejection and behavior problems were assessed before (prenatal) and 1, 6, and 12 months after the birth of a baby sibling. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models revealed positive relations between internalizing problems and both maternal and paternal rejection, and between externalizing problems and paternal rejection at the between-person level (rs=.32-.37), but only cross-lagged effects from children's internalizing and externalizing problems to maternal rejection at the within-person level (βs=.30-.54).

Developmental trajectories of children’s sibling jealousy after the birth of a sibling: Strict parental control, parenting stress and parental depression as pre-birth predictors

This longitudinal research identified the developmental trajectories of sibling jealousy in firstborn children (M age = 49.9 months; 55% boys) among 107 Chinese families from 1 to 12 months after the birth of a younger sibling. Four sibling jealousy trajectories were identified: (a) low-increasing, (b) middle-stable, (c) high-stable, and (d) sharp-increasing. Trajectory group membership varied as a function of pre-birth parental factors including strict parental control (i.e., tiger parenting), parenting stress, and parental depression. These results highlight the benefit of examining the development of sibling jealousy over the transition to siblinghood and the importance to recognize pre-birth parental characteristics, especially paternal factors, as determinants when identifying children who may be at greater risk of adjustment difficulties following the birth of a younger sibling.

Social correlates of androgen levels and dispersal age in juvenile male geladas

Androgens offer a window into the timing of important male life history events such as maturation. However, when males are the dispersing sex, piecing together normative androgen profiles across development is challenging because dispersing males are difficult to track. Here, we examined the conditions that may be associated with male androgen status (via fecal androgen metabolites, fAMs) and age at dispersal in wild male geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Gelada male life histories are highly variable — dispersal may occur before sexual maturation, dispersal itself can be immediate or drawn out, and, due to their multi-leveled society, social conditions affecting dispersal can vary for juveniles living in different reproductive units within the same band. Using longitudinal data from known natal males, we examined how androgen levels and age at dispersal were associated with: (1) access to maternal resources (i.e., maternal rank, birth of a younger sibling, experiencing maternal loss), and (2) access to male peers (i.e., number of similar-aged males in their unit). We found that androgens were significantly lower in males with high-ranking mothers (in males >2.5 years of age; infant androgens were unrelated) and that having more male peers in their social group and larger groups overall predicted an earlier age at dispersal. Moreover, dispersal in geladas was not preceded or followed by a surge in androgen levels. Taken together, results suggest that social environments can cause individual variation in androgens and dispersal age. Whether this variation leads to differences in male fitness in later life remains to be determined.

Transition to siblinghood causes a substantial and long-lasting increase in urinary cortisol levels in wild bonobos.

In animals with slow ontogeny and long-term maternal investment, immatures are likely to experience the birth of a younger sibling before reaching maturity. In these species, the birth of a sibling marks a major event in an offspring's early life as the older siblings experience a decrease in maternal support. The transition to siblinghood (TTS) is often considered to be stressful for the older offspring, but physiological evidence is lacking. To explore the TTS in wild bonobos, we investigated physiological changes in urinary cortisol (stress response), neopterin (cell-mediated immunity), and total triiodothyronine (T3, metabolic rate), as well as changes in behaviors that reflect the mother-offspring relationship. Following a sibling's birth, urinary cortisol levels of the older offspring increased fivefold, independent of their age, and remained elevated for 7 months. The cortisol level increase was associated with declining neopterin levels; however, T3 levels and behavioral measures did not change. Our results indicate that the TTS is accompanied by elevated cortisol levels and that this change does not coincide with nutritional weaning and attainment of physical independence. Our results suggest that bonobos and humans experience TTS in similar ways and that this developmental event may have emerged in the last common ancestor.

Firstborn Children's Reactions to Mother-Doll Interaction Do Not Predict Their Jealousy of a Newborn Sibling: A Longitudinal Pilot Study.

Mothers are concerned about their firstborn children's acceptance of a baby sibling. Observing children's reactions to mothers interacting with an infant doll simulator has been offered as one means of seeing how children will react to the baby sibling. A longitudinal pilot study with 30 pregnant mothers and their firstborn children was conducted comparing children's behaviors to mother-doll interaction in the laboratory before birth with behaviors during home observations of mother-sibling interaction 1 month after birth. Children responded to mother-doll and mother-sibling interaction differently, with no significant associations across children's behaviors in mother-doll and mother-sibling interactions. The use of an infant doll simulator before birth did not reliably predict children's behavioral adjustment after the birth of a baby sibling.

The Cruel Optimism of Anthropocene Technologies: Suspicion and Fascination of Technology in Okja, What Happened to Monday, and Geostorm

The Cruel Optimism of Anthropocene Technologies: Suspicion and Fascination of Technology in <i>Okja</i>, <i>What Happened to Monday</i>, and <i>Geostorm</i>