Siblings in lockdown: International evidence for birth order effects on child adjustment in the Covid19 pandemic

Abstract

Supportive family relationships may mitigate the impact of the Covid19 pandemic on young children's adjustment, but existing work is limited by its focus on within‐country variation and parental influences. Addressing these gaps, and drawing on reported buffering effects of older siblings on child mental health (Lawson and Mace, 2010), the current international study examined whether child adjustment problems were, on average, elevated by the pandemic and whether this buffering effect of older siblings would be maintained. In the first wave of the Covid19 pandemic (April to July 2020), 2516 parents of 3‐ to 8‐year‐old children living in Australia, China, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States of America—six countries with contrasting governmental responses to the pandemic—completed an online survey about family experiences and relationships and child adjustment, as indexed by ratings on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: R. Goodman, 1997). As expected, child SDQ total difficulty scores were elevated in all sites except Sweden (which notably did not enforce mass school closures). Compared to children without siblings, children with one or more older siblings showed fewer adjustment problems. Children from lone‐parent households displayed more adjustment problems, as did those whose parents reported increased sibling conflict. Finally, child adjustment problems were negatively associated with family socio‐economic status, but positively related to the indices of Covid‐19 family disruption and government stringency. We discuss these findings in relation to existing work on asymmetric effects of older versus younger siblings, and siblings as sources of support.

Emotional and Behavioural Problems among Preschool Children in Northeast Peninsular Malaysia: Parent Report Version

“…A recent study also discovered that children with more than two siblings have fewer emotional and behavioural problems than children with only one sibling. In line with Hughes and Ronchi [ 43 ], children with one or more older siblings had more emotional and behavioural problems than children without siblings. One possible explanation is that healthy sibling relationships can be a tremendous source of support, promote empathy, and ensure that siblings have a strong support system, which helps them avoid developing mental health challenges themselves.…”

Parental beliefs, perceived health risks, and time investment in children

“…We find that, on average, a higher sentiment score is associated with higher perceived returns, particularly for play with friends; on the other hand, we do not find any systematic relationship between the sentiment score and perceived risks (Appendix Table B8). 23 This result aligns well with recent evidence on the key role of parental mental well-being in explaining investment decisions in children (Baranov, Bhalotra, Biroli, and Maselko (2020)), and is consistent with research in clinical psychology showing that, by distorting beliefs, mental health can affect the way people think and behave (Gotlib 22 Concerns about the child social development are not uncommon: for example, Byrne et al (2022) document worsening social communication skills in children born during the lockdown as compared to a historical cohort in Ireland, on the basis of parental reports; Hughes et al (2023) find that children with siblings are able to adjust better to lockdown restrictions. 23 The table report results by terciles of the empirical distribution of the sentiment score.…”

Long-Lasting Effects of Changes in Daily Routine during the Pandemic-Related Lockdown on Preschoolers’ Language and Emotional–Behavioral Development: A Moderation Analysis

“…It could be assumed that the presence of siblings acts in a similar way. The only child status has emerged as a risk factor for cognitive and socio-emotional development [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ]. Previous studies have revealed that only children exhibit more positive developmental outcomes, more positive relationships with their parents, and fewer behavioral problems in school compared with non-only-children [ 75 , 78 ].…”