[Birth order, behavioural problems, and the mother-child relationship in siblings aged 4 to 11 years from a 2-child family].
Birth Order, Behavioural Problems, and the Mother-Child Relationship in Siblings Aged 4 to 11 Years From a 2-Child Family


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to define the relation between some sibling characteristics (birth order, sex, and interval between successive births) and some behavioral problems in children, on the one hand, and certain dimensions of the mother-child relationship, on the other hand.


METHODS
The sample, from National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, included 1,196 families with 2 biological children aged 4 to 11 years. Behavioural problems and dimensions of the mother-child relationship were assessed by mothers. Repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance were conducted.


RESULTS
Analyses showed that first-born children have more internalized symptoms than second-born children. Second-born children also have more positive interactions with their mothers than first-born children. The interval between successive births does not affect these results.


CONCLUSIONS
Several differences emerged between siblings. Health professionals should take these findings into account in their clinical assessments.
Marleau
Jacques D
JD
Centre de recherche de l'Institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal, Montréal, Québec. marleauj@videotron.ca
Saucier
Jean-François
JF
Allaire
Jean-François
JF
D001722:Birth Order; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012801:Sibling Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires