First-born Children Research Articles

Emotional and Behavioral Changes in Preschool Firstborn Children During Transition to Siblinghood: A Mixed Methods Study.

To help firstborn children in families expecting a second child navigate the role transition more smoothly, we investigated the emotional and behavioral changes of firstborn children during the transition to siblinghood (TTS) and the factors that contribute to these changes. From March to December 2019, a total of 97 firstborn children (Mage=3.00± 0.97, and female = 51) were included in the study through a questionnaire survey of their mothers, and two follow-up visits were conducted in Chongqing, China. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 mothers. Both quantitative and qualitative results suggest that emotional and behavioral problems of firstborn children tend to increase during TTS, particularly in issues such as anxiety/depression, somatic complaints, withdrawal, sleep problems, attention problems, and aggressive behavior, as well as internalization problems, externalization problems and total problems in the quantitative study (P<0.05). A poor father-child relationship may increase emotional and behavioral problems in firstborn children (P=0.05). Further qualitative analysis found that younger age and outgoing personality of the firstborn child may improve the emotional and behavioral problems. The firstborn children did have more emotional and behavioral problems during TTS. But these problems can be regulated by family factors and their own characteristics.

Family Norms and Declining First-Marriage Rates: The Role of Sibship Position in the Japanese Marriage Market

This study explores how changes in sibship composition associated with fertility decline may, in conjunction with entrenched family norms and expectations associated with specific sibship positions, impact marriage rates and further reduce fertility. We evaluate this possibility by focusing on Japan, a society characterized by half a century of below-replacement fertility and widely shared family norms that associate eldest (male) children with specific family obligations. Harmonic mean models allow us to quantify the contribution of changes in both marriage market composition with respect to sibship position and sibship-specific pairing propensities to the observed decline in marriage rates between 1980 and 2010. One important finding is that marriage propensities are lower for those pairings involving men and women whose sibship position signals a higher potential of caregiving obligations, especially only-children. Another is that changes in marriage propensities, rather than changing sibship composition, explain most of the observed decline in marriage rates. We also found that marriage propensity changes mitigate the impact of the changing sibship composition to some extent. However, the limited contribution of changing sibship composition to the decline in first-marriage rates provides little support for a self-reinforcing fertility decline via the relationship between changing sibship composition and marriage behavior.

The Influence of Age Gap between First-born and Second-born Child on First-born Academic Self-efficacy - The Mediating Role of Parent Involvement

With the introduction of the national policy to encourage childbearing, the proportion of families with multiple children has been increasing. It is meaningful to explore whether in multiple children families the age gap between kids affects the childrens academic behaviour. This study aims to explore whether the age gap between the eldest child and the second-born child has an impact on the academic self-efficacy of the eldest child, and if the parental involvement works as a mediating role in this process. A questionnaire survey was used to survey 627 students across the country. The results of the study are: Parental involvement was significantly correlated with academic self-efficacy, and there were significant gender differences in parental involvement, with boys' parents having more involvement. The age gap between the eldest child and the second child was negatively correlated with the academic self-efficacy of the eldest child, and the correlation was significant. Age gap influences the eldest childs academic self-efficacy through parental involvement, and the mediating effect accounts for 59.53% of the total effect.

Siblings’ educational mobility and the educational stratification of families

This study examines same-sex siblings’ educational mobility using high-quality register data from Norway. The study explores how the educational level of younger siblings varies with the education of parents and firstborn siblings. Younger siblings are generally more likely to attain the same education as the eldest. Even though the distance and direction of educational mobility co-varies between the eldest and younger siblings, the association appears weaker when the firstborn children of highly educated parents only attain compulsory schooling. Furthermore, educational similarity within and across generations is particularly widespread among the families with the least and most educated parents. The study demonstrates how differentials in educational attainment by family background increase when comparing sibling pairs rather than individuals. Accordingly, researchers must also consider family outcomes to understand the stratification that follows intergenerational mobility.

The Relationship between Parenting Styles and Secondary Child Mental Health in Second-Child Families: The Mediating Role Played by Sibling Relationships

With the development of the two-child policy and changes in family structure patterns, the relationship between parents and young children has received increasing attention, the more prominent of which is the way parents parent their children and their sibling relationship, and the development of children's mental health is particularly important in both relationships. The study explores the mediating role of the sibling relationship between parenting style and preschool children's mental health in second-child families. A total of 369 children and their parents and younger siblings (preschool age) from a primary school in a city in Shaanxi Province were used in this study. The Parenting Style Nurture Questionnaire and Sibling Relationship Scale completed by the parents and the preschool children's mental health questionnaire were used. The results found that: (1) parenting styles of first-born children were significantly correlated with their sibling relationships, i.e. positive (democratic) parenting styles contributed to warm sibling relationships and sibling relationships were significantly correlated with children's psychological health, i.e. warm sibling relationships led to healthy psychological states; (2) sibling conflict and sibling rivalry and jealousy in parenting styles ; (3) sibling conflict and sibling rivalry and jealousy are significant mediators of the four dimensions of parenting styles: coddling, permissiveness, authoritarianism, inconsistency and preschool children's mental health, i.e. children's mental health problems are significantly correlated with sibling conflict and sibling rivalry and jealousy.

Child Temperament and Child-care Support are Related to Better Mother-child Relationship Quality

The current study identifies associates of mother-first-born-child relationship quality of an important period that is when expecting a second child. Based on Belsky’s determinants of parenting model (Belsky, 1984), we suggested three domains to relate to mother-child relationship quality, maternal personal resources (well-being, effortful control), child characteristics (temperament, behaviour problems) and contextual factors (household chaos, child-care support, marital satisfaction). Forty-five mothers (Mage= 34.78 years; SDage = 3.86 years) and their typically developing first-born children (Mchild age=32.26 months; SDage = 6.27) were visited at home in the south of England, Sussex, UK, where mothers completed questionnaires and mother-child interactions were videotaped. Results demonstrated that easier child temperament, better maternal well-being, less household chaos and more child-care support were related to more positive mother-child relationship quality. Together the variables explained 23% of the variance in relationship quality. The child’s easy temperament, chaos and child-care support provided unique variance in explaining the mother-child relationship. These results contribute to the literature on expecting a second child and yield several implications. The findings also provide guidance for future intervention programs. In order to improve the mother-child relationship quality, child executive functioning may be a fruitful target for intervention, as well as increased support for child-care and decreased household chaos.

Study of socio-demographic factors and comorbidities in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder admitted in a tertiary care centre

Background: Objectives of the study were to study the socio-demographic factors and co-morbidities in Indian children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: A prospective observational study of 2 years duration at the pediatrics department, Rural tertiary care center in Tamil Nadu, using diagnostic and statistical manual 5 (DSM-5) criteria-based questionnaires. Results: 60 children met the diagnosis of ADHD. M: F ratio was 3.6:1. The mean age was 8.2 years. A majority of the children belonged to lower socio-economic classes and were first-born children. Most children were brought up in nuclear families. A history of delayed speech and language development was commonly seen in these children. The combined type of ADHD was the most common. At least two co-morbid diagnoses were seen in most of the children, and anxiety disorder was the most common co-morbid diagnosis. Conclusions: Knowledge about their sociodemographic profile and other co-morbid conditions that are associated with ADHD is necessary to the fully understand the magnitude of the problem and to the plan effective therapy for them.

Exploring Tandem Breastfeeding Motivations Via Self-Determination Theory: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study.

Tandem breastfeeding is defined as a situation in which a mother continues breastfeeding her child through a subsequent pregnancy, including after the new baby is born. In some countries where motherhood may be delayed and the time between births may be reduced, support for the promotion of tandem breastfeeding is necessary to help mothers continue to breastfeed their eldest child and avoid early weaning. There is no existing research about mothers' motivations to breastfeed in tandem. To explore the motivations of women to initiate and maintain tandem breastfeeding, based on their lived experience, framed within the self-determination theory. A prospective, cross-sectional, interpretive, phenomenological study was carried out through in-depth interviews with 15 mothers in Madrid, who had practiced tandem breastfeeding for more than 6 months, and whose weaning of their eldest child had occurred within the previous year. Convenience and snowball sampling were used. The data were analyzed using an established interpretive phenomenological analysis process. Among the motivations for initiating tandem breastfeeding, the following themes were identified: "avoid wasting the effort invested," "desire such life experience," and "exercise the freedom to decide." The motivations for maintaining tandem breastfeeding were classified as "pass on parenting values" and "benefits of teamwork." The participants based their motivation to tandem breastfeed to follow their freely chosen motherhood model. They discovered the advantages of its implementation, forming a team of themselves and their children, and healing their traumatic perinatal experiences.

An overview of diarrhea among infants and under-five in Punjab-Pakistan

BackgroundDiarrhea, pneumonia, malnutrition, tuberculosis, measles, and fever are the leading causes of mortality in children under five-years of age (0–59 months), whereas diarrhea alone is the world's second-biggest cause of mortality in this population. This study is particularly important for Pakistan as it focuses on one of the main causes of infant mortality, diarrhea, which is a major challenge for Pakistan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals to reduce infant mortality to 12/1000 live births by 2030. AimThis study was planned to investigate the various household, parental, environmental, and child-related factors causing diarrheal diseases in children aged 0–59 months in Punjab Pakistan. MethodsThe study used the data of 38,405 households from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2017–18, directed by the Punjab Bureau of Statistics. Comprehensive descriptive statistics, i.e., cross-tabulations and logistic regression were used for the detailed analysis. FindingsThe results showed that infants are more probable to get diarrhea than older children. A wide range of influences were found to affect the probability of a child getting diarrhea, including child-specific, mother-specific and environment-specific ones. One prominent finding was that, at the mother level, the education of the mother played a significant role in reducing diarrhea among children under five-years of age (0–59 months). DiscussionThe results of the study contribute to the literature by highlighting that it is an interplay of factors that result in diarrhea. Hence, improving the source of drinking water, e.g., tap water and bottled water, can decrease the occurrence of diarrhea, especially in poor households. It was also revealed that households with a toilet facility of flush have less probability of their children being diagnosed with diarrhea than toilet facilities in open drains and fields. On the child level, results suggested that birth order matters as well, with the firstborn child having a lower probability of contracting diarrhea than siblings born after. Application to practiceInterventions targeting infants and mothers of infants aimed at reducing diarrhea are expected to be very effective to reduce child mortality, one of the main child health challenges faced by Pakistan.

Explaining Residential Clustering of Large Families

Numerous studies have shown that fertility behavior is spatially clustered. In addition to pure contextual effects, two causal mechanisms could drive this pattern. First, neighbors may influence each other's fertility and second, family size may influence decisions about where to live. In this study we examine these two potential causal mechanisms empirically, using the sex composition of the two eldest children and twin births as instrumental variables (IVs) for having a third child. We estimate how having a third child affects three separate outcomes: the fertility of neighbors; the propensity to move houses; and the likelihood of living in a family-friendly neighborhood with many children. We draw residential and childbearing histories (2000–2018) from Norwegian administrative registers (N ~ 167,000 women). Individuals' neighborhoods are defined using time-varying geocoordinates for place of residence. We identify selective moves as one plausible causal driver of residential clustering of large families. This study contributes to the understanding of fertility and relocation, and to the literature on the social interaction effects of fertility, by testing the relevance of yet another network: that of neighbors.

Breastfeeding Aversion Response (BAR): A Descriptive Study.

For many women, breastfeeding their infant is an enjoyable experience. Some, however, have reported negative sensations such as an overwhelming need to unlatch while breastfeeding. This phenomenon is known as breastfeeding aversion response (BAR). The incidence of BAR is unknown and literature on this experience is limited. This study therefore aimed to expand the understanding of BAR using an online survey targeting those who have experienced feelings of aversion while breastfeeding. An online survey was distributed within Australia using purposive sampling to those who self-identified as experiencing BAR. This survey contained 5 sections: (1) demographics and health-related characteristics, (2) breastfeeding difficulties and onset of BAR, (3) the experience of BAR, (4) birth and breastfeeding experience, and (5) coping with BAR and support. Questions were included to test the generalizability of previous qualitative findings on BAR. Participants (N = 210) predominantly were aged between 25 and 35 years (69.2%), were in a relationship (96.2%), and had one child (80%). BAR was more commonly experienced when feeding the first-born child (44.8%), breastfeeding while pregnant (31%), or tandem feeding (10%). The feelings of aversion were experienced by most respondents throughout the feed while the child was latched (76.7%). More than half (52.4%) of participants reported that BAR had caused them to end breastfeeding sessions before their child was ready to stop feeding. Almost half of the participants (48.6%) reported receiving no support from a health care provider for BAR. This study contributes new information about the experience of BAR, including when it commonly happens and who may be at greater risk. More support is needed for women who want to breastfeed while experiencing BAR. New public health policies which promote breastfeeding are needed to help women achieve satisfying breastfeeding experiences and meet their own breastfeeding goals.

Why do we fear bottles and pacifiers?

Why do we fear bottles and pacifiers?

Mental health condition of vocational high school students during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

This study aimed to determine the mental health condition of vocational high school students in Indonesia during the pandemic using the Rasch analysis method with the DASS-42 instrument. A total of 1381 vocational students in Indonesia participated in this study through the questionnaire. The results showed that more than 60 % of Indonesian vocational students experienced mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic due to social restrictions, and online learning. Furthermore, the findings of this study showed that mental health issues were mostly experienced by female students, firstborn children, and students who live in rural areas, and from middle-income backgrounds.

Naming the Precious Child: New Evidence of Intentional Family Planning in Historical Populations

Can the names parents gave their children give us insights into how parents in historical times planned their families? In this study, we explore whether the names given to the firstborn child can be used as indicators of family-size preferences and, if so, what this reveals about the emergence of intentional family planning over the course of the demographic transition. We analyze historical populations from 1850 to 1940 in the United States, where early fertility control and large sample sizes allow separate analyses of the White and Black populations. We also analyze Norway from 1800 to 1910, where there was a much later fertility transition. A split-sample method allows automated scoring of each name in terms of predicted family size. We find a strong relationship between naming and family size in the U.S. White population as early as 1850, for the Black population beginning in 1940, and for the Norwegian population in 1910. These results provide new evidence of the emergence of “conscious calculation” during the fertility transition. Our methods may also be applicable to modern high-fertility populations in the midst of fertility decline.

A study of clinico etiological profile of children with cerebral palsy in a tertiary care centre

The clinical spectrum of Cerebral palsy (CP) can differ in various places depending upon the knowledge of the people and resources for prevention, diagnosis and management. Although studied extensively in high-resource countries, adequate data related to CP from resource-constraint settings are lacking.&#x0D; The aim: The present study is a descriptive study done on clinical profiles, aetiology, and comorbidities.&#x0D; Materials and methods: Present study is a hospital-based descriptive study of 80 children with Cerebral Palsy from January 2020 to June 2021 (18 months) admitted to Niloufer Hospital for Child Health, cases chosen as per inclusion criteria guided by "The Definition and classification of cerebral palsy, April 2006 International consensus". Clinical history and clinical examination and necessary investigations using a systematically designed proforma&#x0D; Results: The most common types were spastic type (78.9 %) and hypotonic type (12.5 %). Spastic quadriparesis (55 %) was the most common among subtypes. Males were more affected than females, with more rural than urban distribution. 48.8 % belonged to the lower middle and 37.5 % to the upper lower class of socio-economic status. Consanguinity was observed in 33 %, and 3 % had a similar family history. A high incidence (65 %) was seen in firstborn children. Term gestation was commonest at 87 % and prematurity at 13 %. 91.3 % of the cases were institutional deliveries. For causes of cerebral palsy, 45 % required resuscitation at birth, 2.5 % had neonatal sepsis, 1.25 % had a cerebral malformation, 7.5 % had an intracranial bleed, 7.5 % had post-meaning encephalitic sequelae, 1.3 % had TORCH infection. Comorbidities Like mental retardation were seen in 90 %, seizure disorder in 87.5 %, visual problems in 24.8 %, hearing problems in 13.75 %, 56.25 % of cases were malnourished.&#x0D; Conclusions: Comorbidities are significantly observed in cases of cerebral palsy. Appropriate screening and management of comorbidities, especially vision, hearing, speech, seizures, and nutrition, improve the overall prognosis in cases of Cerebral palsy.

Impact of BMI and smoking in adolescence and at the start of pregnancy on birth weight

BackgroundBirth weight is an indicator of intra-uterine conditions but also a determinant for future health. The importance of preconception health for a healthy birth weight has been emphasized, but evidence is lacking on how modifiable factors in adolescence, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking, affect future pregnancy outcome. We evaluated associations between BMI and smoking in adolescence and at the start of pregnancy and birth weight of the first-born child.MethodsThis longitudinal study included 1256 mothers, born 1962–1992, and their first-born children, born between 1982–2016. Self-reported questionnaire information on weight, height and smoking at age 19 was cross-linked with national register data obtained at the start of pregnancy and with the birth weights of the children. Univariable and multivariable linear regressions were performed to determine the impact of maternal factors at 19 years of age and at the start of the pregnancy respectively, and the importance of BMI status at these points of time for the birth weight of the first child.ResultsBMI and smoking at the start of the pregnancy displayed strong associations with birth weight in a multivariable analysis, BMI with a positive association of 14.9 g per BMI unit (95% CI 6.0; 23.8 p = 0.001) and smoking with a negative association of 180.5 g (95% CI -275.7; -85.4) p = 0.0002). Smoking and BMI at 19 years of age did not show this association. Maternal birth weight showed significant associations in models at both time-points. Becoming overweight between age 19 and the start of the pregnancy was associated with a significantly higher birth weight (144.6 (95% CI 70.7;218.5) p = 0.0002) compared to mothers with normal weight at both time points.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that the time period between adolescence and first pregnancy could be a window of opportunity for targeted health promotion to prevent intergenerational transmission of obesity.

Birth Order, Gender, and Naming Preferences in Contemporary Poland

The paper investigates how birth order and gender jointly influence naming decisions among Polish parents. The impact of birth order on the choice of first names has been extensively documented in historical and anthropological studies worldwide, but it has been largely ignored in sociological research on contemporary Western countries. The study is based on a survey of 317 users of a Polish parenting forum devoted to first names and naming decisions. The names of the first-born and second-born children of the research participants are compared in terms of their popularity and traditionality, measured both objectively and subjectively, in regard to the subjective motives declared behind the naming choices. The findings show that, on the whole, the first-born children received more popular and more traditional names than the second-borns. However, when the gender of the children was figured in, the difference between the first-born and the second-born boys turned out statistically significant only in the dimension of traditionality, whereas between the first-born and the second-born girls, only in the dimension of popularity. In a within-family comparison, the names given to siblings were found to be fairly consistent in both dimensions, and the gender of the first child influenced the preferences for the second one, especially if the latter was a girl. Those results can be interpreted in the frame of different social expectations towards the genders, with a particular focus on gendered concepts of the self.

The Influence of Family Milieu on Dental Anxiety in Adolescents—A Cross-Sectional Study

Parents play a significant role in the development of dental anxiety in their adolescent children. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the influence of family milieu on adolescents' dental anxiety. The level of dental anxiety (Dental Anxiety Scale-DAS) was evaluated in 100 adolescent dental patients (ages 13-18 years) and their parents. Parents supplied information about family demographics and their personal experiences of dental treatment. Concomitantly, the family's behavior was observed during the dental encounter. The adolescents' mean DAS score was 9.83 ± 2.05. Adolescents' DAS was higher when their parents' memories from their own dental encounters were negative. A positive correlation was found between adolescents' dental anxiety and that of their father (r = 0.52, p < 0.001) and mother (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). The following variables showed a significant ability to predict adolescents' dental anxiety (stepwise regression): mother's DAS (B = 0.57), adolescent's behavior at the dental visit (B = 0.87), being the firstborn child (B = -0.44), father's DAS (B = 0.13), and mother's level of education (B = -0.10). The results showed that intra-family relationships and behavior, parents' education, dental fear, and memories from previous treatments play an important role in defining the level of dental anxiety in their adolescent children.

Breastfeeding intentions and behaviours of doctor mothers in Bloemfontein, South Africa

Background. Doctor mothers are a high-risk group for early cessation of breastfeeding. Improving breastfeeding among doctor mothers would not only improve the wellbeing of their babies, but the experience might also enhance their advocacy for breastfeeding to patients.Objective. To describe the infant feeding intentions and behaviours of doctor mothers in Bloemfontein, South Africa, focusing onbreastfeeding and factors that impact the decision on feeding method.Methods. This was a descriptive study. The target population included female medical doctors with a biological child under the ageof 5 years, recruited via snowball sampling. Respondents completed an electronic questionnaire, answering questions regarding infantfeeding intentions and behaviours.Results. There were 104 respondents who provided information on 132 children. The median intended duration of exclusivebreastfeeding for the first-born child was 6 months and 6.5 months for the second-born, but the actual median duration for bothchildren was 3 months shorter. The intention to express breastmilk at work was 67.7% for Child 1 and 57.7% for Child 2; however,the actual outcome was less than half of the intention (32.0%). Most respondents (71.0%) indicated there was no dedicated area forexpressing breastmilk at their place of work.Conclusion. The intention to exclusively breastfeed was high (6 months), but the actual duration was 3 months shorter. The percentage of doctor mothers who eventually expressed breastmilk at work was less than half of those who intended to do so. Breastfeeding female doctors need more support in the postpartum period, especially when returning to work after maternity leave

The relationship between parental role expectations and sibling jealousy: the mediating effect of first-born children's role cognition.

This study aimed to explore the relationship among parental role expectations, the firstborns' sibling jealousy and their role cognition. A sample of 190 two-family firstborns aged 3-7years old and their parents from China participated in the study by using experimental methods, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed: (1) Parental role expectations had a significant positive effect on firstborns' role cognition. (2) The dispositional sibling jealousy of the first-born children was positively correlated with their parents' role expectations. (3) Firstborns' role cognition mediated the relation between parental role expectations and episodic sibling jealousy completely. The first-born children were more inclined to perceive themselves as resource contender and experience the episodic sibling jealousy the greater the parental role expectations.