Eldest Siblings Research Articles

Primary dysmenorrhoea in adolescents and young women: A twin family study of maternal transmission, genetic influence and associations.

The extent to which maternal transmission of primary dysmenorrhoea is genetically determined in adolescents and young women has yet to be determined. We aimed to assess heritability and associations relevant to primary pain syndromes using a twin family study. Participants were young menstruating female twins, and their oldest sisters and mothers, whose families were registered with Twins Research Australia and previously participated in a twin family study of primary paediatric pain disorders. Questionnaire packs were mailed, assessing current maximum and average menstrual pain intensity, current pain interference with activities and retrospective dysmenorrhea secondary symptoms. The sample comprised 206 twin individuals (57 monozygous (MZ) and 46 dizygous (DZ) pairs) aged 10-22 years, eldest siblings (n=38) aged 13-28 years and mothers (n=101) aged 32-61 years. The estimated regression coefficient of the relationship between mother-daughter and twin-sibling dyads indicated significant associations for the measures of dysmenorrhea and supported heritability. Adjusted for age, the within twin-pair correlation for MZ twins was generally more than twice that of DZ twins. Heritability estimates were maximal pain intensity 0.67 (P=3.8 × 10-11 ), average pain intensity 0.63 (P=3.7 × 10-10 ), pain interference 0.57 (P=1.8 × 10-8 ) and retrospective symptoms 0.57 (P=1.8 × 10-8 ). Twin individuals with a lifetime (three-month) history of iron deficiency and those with painless restless legs syndrome (RLS) were significantly more likely to have more intense pain associated with menstruation. Primary dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young women was shown to be relatively strongly genetically influenced and associated especially with a history of iron deficiency and painless RLS which have potential therapeutic implications.

Listening for Silences: The Trap of Biased Sources

Listening for Silences: The Trap of Biased Sources

The effect of rapid privatisation on mortality in mono-industrial towns in post-Soviet Russia: a retrospective cohort study

SummaryBackgroundPopulation-level data suggest that economic disruptions in the early 1990s increased working-age male mortality in post-Soviet countries. This study uses individual-level data, using an indirect estimation method, to test the hypothesis that fast privatisation increased mortality in Russia.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we surveyed surviving relatives of individuals who lived through the post-communist transition to retrieve demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of their parents, siblings, and male partners. The survey was done within the framework of the European Research Council (ERC) project PrivMort (The Impact of Privatization on the Mortality Crisis in Eastern Europe). We surveyed relatives in 20 mono-industrial towns in the European part of Russia (ie, the landmass to the west of the Urals). We compared ten fast-privatised and ten slow-privatised towns selected using propensity score matching. In the selected towns, population surveys were done in which respondents provided information about vital status, sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health-related behaviours of their parents, two eldest siblings (if eligible), and first husbands or long-term partners. We calculated indirect age-standardised mortality rates in fast and slow privatised towns and then, in multivariate analyses, calculated Poisson proportional incidence rate ratios to estimate the effect of rapid privatisation on all-cause mortality risk.FindingsBetween November, 2014, and March, 2015, 21 494 households were identified in 20 towns. Overall, 13 932 valid interviews were done (with information collected for 38 339 relatives [21 634 men and 16 705 women]). Fast privatisation was strongly associated with higher working-age male mortality rates both between 1992 and 1998 (age-standardised mortality ratio in men aged 20–69 years in fast vs slow privatised towns: 1·13, SMR 0·83, 95% CI 0·77–0·88 vs 0·73, 0·69–0·77, respectively) and from 1999 to 2006 (1·15, 0·91, 0·86–0·97 vs 0·79, 0·75–0·84). After adjusting for age, marital status, material deprivation history, smoking, drinking and socioeconomic status, working-age men in fast-privatised towns experienced 13% higher mortality than in slow-privatised towns (95% CI 1–26).InterpretationThe rapid pace of privatisation was a significant factor in the marked increase in working-age male mortality in post-Soviet Russia. By providing compelling evidence in support of the health benefits of a slower pace of privatisation, this study can assist policy makers in making informed decisions about the speed and scope of government interventions.FundingThe European Research Council.

The universal provision of primary education: who benefits?

Few studies have investigated the causal spillover effects of compulsory education on children's siblings. Using a regression discontinuity method, I find that Hong Kong's 1971 free compulsory primary education policy reduced the dropout probability for the eldest siblings of full policy beneficiaries, especially for children in low-income families. Having younger brothers who were full policy beneficiaries did not affect the elder child's educational attainment. Having younger sisters who were full policy beneficiaries increased the eldest child's educational attainment, especially for the eldest sister. The results shed light on how sibling sex composition might affect intra-household resource allocation of human capital investment among children.

Time With Peers From Middle Childhood to Late Adolescence: Developmental Course and Adjustment Correlates

This study examined the developmental course and adjustment correlates of time with peers from age 8 to 18. On seven occasions over 8years, the two eldest siblings from 201 European American, working- and middle-class families provided questionnaire and/or phone diary data. Multilevel models revealed that girls' time with mixed-/opposite-sex peers increased beginning in middle childhood, but boys' time increased beginning in early adolescence. For both girls and boys, time with same-sex peers peaked in middle adolescence. At the within-person level, unsupervised time with mixed-/opposite-sex peers longitudinally predicted problem behaviors and depressive symptoms, and supervised time with mixed-/opposite-sex peers longitudinally predicted better school performance. Findings highlight the importance of social context in understanding peer involvement and its implications for youth development.

Sibling relationships and empathy across the transition to adolescence.

Although socioemotional competencies have been identified as key components of youths' positive development, most studies on empathy are cross-sectional, and research on the role of the family has focused almost exclusively on parental socialization. This study examined the developmental course of empathy from age 7 to 14 and the within-person associations between sibling warmth and conflict and youths' empathy. On three occasions across 2years, mothers, fathers, and the two eldest siblings from 201 White, working- and middle-class families provided questionnaire data. Multilevel models revealed that, controlling for youths' pubertal status and parental education, girls' empathy increased during the transition to adolescence and then leveled off, but boys' lower levels of empathy remained relatively unchanged. Moreover, controlling for parental responsiveness and marital love, at times when firstborns and second-borns reported more sibling warmth and less sibling conflict than usual, they also reported more empathy than usual. The within-person association between sibling warmth and empathy also became stronger over time. Findings highlight gender differences in empathy development and the unique role of siblings in shaping each other's socioemotional characteristics during adolescence.

The Social Multiplier and Labor Market Participation of Mothers

In France, as in the US, a mother's labor market participation is influenced by the sex composition of her two eldest siblings. This paper shows that it is also affected by the sex composition of the eldest siblings of the other mothers living in the same close neighborhood. Using the sex composition of neighbors' eldest siblings as an instrumental variable, we identify a significant elasticity of own labor market participation to neighbors' participation. We present supportive evidence by comparing the estimates under two regimes for family benefits (pre- and post-1994 reform) and using quarter of birth as an alternative instrument. (JEL J16, J22)

Determinants of adult mortality in Russia: estimates from sibling data.

It would be useful to have a quick and cost-effective method to study individual-level determinants of mortality in countries where reliable data are not available. We have modified indirect demographic methods and applied them to a population sample to investigate predictors of mortality in Russia. A national sample of the Russian population was interviewed in a cross-sectional survey. The participants were asked about characteristics of their eldest siblings, including their vital status, year of birth, and year of death (if deceased). The association between personal characteristics and mortality risk was estimated for 682 male and 698 female siblings (of whom 122 and 81, respectively, had died). In both sexes, mortality was strongly associated with smoking and low education. After adjustment for smoking and education, mortality was elevated in men and women who drank alcohol at least once a month. Mortality was also higher among in men who had been binge drinking (more than half a bottle of vodka per drinking session) at least once a week (adjusted risk ratio [RR] = 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-4.9) and in women who were binging at least once a month (RR = 3.9; CI = 1.1-14.5) compared with nonbinging. Similar associations with drinking were seen for cardiovascular deaths in men. Childhood social circumstances were not associated with mortality. The study of siblings appears to be a cost-effective alternative for estimating risk factors for mortality in literate populations. This study identified smoking, low education, and alcohol consumption (especially binge drinking) as risk factors for mortality in Russia.

Siblings with Age-related Macular Degeneration in a Pedigree

The pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration remains unknown. Environmental and genetic factors have been shown to be associated with in this disease. We report siblings with age-related macular degeneration. The proband (the third of 6 siblings) was found to have retinal pigment epithelial abnormalities and drusen of the right macula, and serous retinal detachment, drusen, and choroidal neovascularization of the left macula. Examination of the eldest siblings showed choroidal neovascularization, subretinal hemorrhage, and serous retinal detachment of the right macula. The left eye of the proband and the right eye of the eldest siblings were treated with laser photocoagulation. The fourth sibling was examined, and findings included retinal pigment epithelial abnormalities of both maculas and drusen of the right eye. The sixth sibling had drusen of the left macula. We report a family in which two siblings had age-related macular degeneration and two other siblings had abnormalities of the maculas.

Eldest and younger siblings in a stem-family system: the case of rural Catalonia

Une reconstitution généalogique de 1900 à 1970 des families de quatre paroisses de la municipalité de Gurb, au nord de Barcelone, sert de test pour vérifier la réalité du dicton catalan ‘L'aîné est l'héritier, le deuxième devient prêtre et le troisième avocat.’ On constate que les prêtres sont principalement des cadets et que le plus fort pourcentage de fils entrant dans les ordres appartient aux families de gros propriétaires fonciers. Par contraste, les filles qui entrent au couvent proviennent généralement des families de petits propriétaires, illustrant ainsi le fait qu'une vie passée au couvent était de loin inférieure à la carrière d'un prêtre. On a également analysé d'abord les différentes carrières suivies par les cadets et cadettes de nombreux milieux sociaux et celà tant qu'ils étaient jeunes adultes, ensuite leurs chances de rester célibataires, et enfin dans le cas échéant leur âge au mariage. Les cadets se marient généralement à un âge plus jeune que celui des héritiers, le choix de la date de ces derniers dépendant des intérêts généraux de la famille. Enfin la versatilité de la famille souche est soulignée comme un moyen de faire face aux incertitudes démographiques et économiques.