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This study sought to create a measure of parent's perceptions of parental experience-based change (PEBC), or parents' perceptions of the changes they make to their parenting of secondborn children as a result of experiences with firstborn children. The measure assessed PEBC in the domains of monitoring, expectations, nurturing and discipline. Participants were 401 mothers or fathers of 2 or 3 adolescent children. Factor analyses revealed an 8 factor solution that assessed increasing and decreasing in each of the 4 domains. Criterion validity was evaluated using regression analyses to examine the relationships between each factor and parenting outcomes thought to be related to PEBC, namely efficacy, relationship positivity and negativity, demandingness, responsiveness and granting of autonomy. Reliability of the measure was also evaluated. Overall, results supported the validity and reliability of the measure of PEBC and future research can implement the measure in study of parenting and sibling influence.

Birth order effects have been the subject of considerable research in the developmental literature. One aim of the present investigation was to explore links between temperament and birth order. Temperament should be linked to birth order. Because infant temperament is related to maternal stress during pregnancy (Huizink et al, 2002), and because mothers caring for children while pregnant presumably experience more stress, laterborn children could have different temperamental profiles than earlier-born children. Research has also shown reliable links between birth order and vocabulary size in infancy; with second born children demonstrating significantly larger vocabularies at 21 months (Oshima-Takane et al., 1996). However, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the relationship between birth order and gestural productivity. Because gestural production is linked to language development (Iverson & Goldin-Meadow, 2005), it stands to reason that birth order should also be linked to gestural production. Thus, our second aim was to evaluate the relationship between birth order and gestural production. Eighty-three children (32 girls) visited the lab at M = 15.45 months (SD = 1.92 months). Caregivers completed the Infant Behavioral Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R), the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures (MCDIWG), and a demographic questionnaire assessing family size and birth order. The IBQ-R produced three overarching superdimensions: surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control. Gestural productivity was derived from the MCDI-WG. In line with our first aim, we evaluated correlations between infant temperament and birth order. These analyses revealed a significant and positive relationship between later-born status and temperamental negative affectivity (r = .27, p = .03), indicating that later-born children were rated by mothers as temperamentally more negative in affective expression. Neither other temperament superdimension was related to birth order. Follow-up analyses revealed that sadness was the only subdimension of negative affectivity to be associated with later-born status (r = .31, p < .01). To investigate whether birth order was related to gestural production, we analyzed correlations between birth order and the MCDI-WG categories of "performing actions with objects" and "imitation". Positive and significant associations between birth order and both gestural production measures were found (performing actions with objects, r = .30, p = .03; and imitation, r = .35, p < .01). Although these results were in line with our expectations, they remain to be supported by replication. In the meantime, these results suggest interesting findings for both temperament and language researchers. First, later born children appear more at risk for temperamental difficulty. The source of this risk could include heightened maternal prenatal stress during pregnancy. But the source could also be postnatal, perhaps exacerbated by later-borns spending proportionally less time with caregivers, or more time sharing with siblings. Secondly, the gestural production results suggest that later born children are at a particular advantage. This advantage may be due to the fact that later born children, by virtue of their larger families, have more mode.

Sibling relationships transcend all other relationships. Described by scholars as “cradle to grave,” no other relationship is as long-lasting as the sibling relationship. Although one of the longest relationships any one person will be a part of in their lives, siblings communicative research is widely understudied. Specifically, supportive communication and the role birth order plays in sibling communication are important to examine. This study sought to explore topics of sibling support, the role birth order played in providing (or not providing) support, and the differentiation between sibling and parental supportive communication. Through qualitative methods of investigation, open-ended questions were answered by five same-gender sibling dyads (10 participants). The responses of these participants developed into four separate themes to explain the sibling communicative relationship. There is no topic too broad or taboo that siblings expressed they couldn’t talk to their other sibling about, and parental advice was described as outdated when siblings explained why they sought advice from their sibling over their parent. Similarly, firstborn children expressed an innate obligation to be supportive of their younger siblings, even without being told this message from their parents. The findings of this qualitative study are presented such that they can be used to further justify the importance of studying the unique communication between siblings.

<p>This thesis examines whether childhood family configuration influences performance on cognitive functions and health in adulthood and old age. All studies examined participants in the Betula Prospective Cohort Study aged 35 to 85 years (Nilsson et al., 1997). Study Ι established whether there are reliable effects of sibship size and birth order in a large sample of participants in adulthood and old age. The results showed that the effects previously demonstrated in children and adolescents (e.g., Belmont & Marolla, 1973; Mercy & Steelman, 1982) have a long-lasting effect and can be demonstrated in an adult sample. These studies concluded that intelligence and executive functioning decreased as the sibship size increased. Birth order, in contrast, had only influenced executive functions and working memory: earlier born siblings performed at a higher level than later born siblings. Study ΙΙ examined whether the effects of sibship size and birth order can be replicated and extended to episodic memory and whether the effects of family configuration are stable over a five-year interval. The results showed that early born siblings and siblings belonging to a smaller sibship size performed at a higher level and that these effects on both recall and recognition were stable over a five-year interval. Study ΙΙΙ explored whether childhood family configuration influences chronic adult diseases (myocardial infarction and circulatory disorders, stroke, and hypertension). The overall results showed that being born in a large sibship is a risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction /circulatory disorders, and hypertension in old age. The results also suggest that being born early in a sibship is a predictor of stroke.</p>

This thesis examines whether childhood family configuration influences performance on cognitive functions and health in adulthood and old age. All studies examined participants in the Betula Prospective Cohort Study aged 35 to 85 years (Nilsson et al., 1997). Study Ι established whether there are reliable effects of sibship size and birth order in a large sample of participants in adulthood and old age. The results showed that the effects previously demonstrated in children and adolescents (e.g., Belmont &amp; Marolla, 1973; Mercy &amp; Steelman, 1982) have a long-lasting effect and can be demonstrated in an adult sample. These studies concluded that intelligence and executive functioning decreased as the sibship size increased. Birth order, in contrast, had only influenced executive functions and working memory: earlier born siblings performed at a higher level than later born siblings. Study ΙΙ examined whether the effects of sibship size and birth order can be replicated and extended to episodic memory and whether the effects of family configuration are stable over a five-year interval. The results showed that early born siblings and siblings belonging to a smaller sibship size performed at a higher level and that these effects on both recall and recognition were stable over a five-year interval. Study ΙΙΙ explored whether childhood family configuration influences chronic adult diseases (myocardial infarction and circulatory disorders, stroke, and hypertension). The overall results showed that being born in a large sibship is a risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction /circulatory disorders, and hypertension in old age. The results also suggest that being born early in a sibship is a predictor of stroke.

ABSTRACT THE RELATIONSHIP OF LIFESTYLE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BIRTH ORDER WITH CAREER DECISION SELF-EFFICACY by Ronald M. Herndon Over the course of the last several decades Adlerians have demonstrated the vocational utility of Individual Psychology and the constructs of lifestyle and psychological birth order in determining career interests, preferences, and choices (Watkins, 1984a; Watts & Engels, 1995). However, these constructs have not been examined in terms of their relationship to career decision self-efficacy (CDSE). This study examined the relationship of the Adlerian lifestyle and psychological birth order constructs with CDSE among undergraduates (N = 156) at a major southeastern university. Participants were administered a survey packet containing a demographic questionnaire, the BASIS-A Inventory, the White-Campbell Psychological Birth Order Inventory (PBOI), and the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale (CDSES). The BASIS-A Inventory and the PBOI are instruments measuring the Adlerian constructs of lifestyle and psychological birth order. Both of these instruments do not yield a singular overall score for these constructs. Rather, scores are reported as scale totals corresponding to the factors associated with these constructs. The CDSES is an instrument measuring career decision self-efficacy, which yields scores for the overall measure as well as the scales corresponding to the factors associated with the construct. Results indicate that many statistically significant relationships exist among the factors of lifestyle with the factor scales of CDSE and overall CDSE, including belonging/social interest (BSI) and striving for perfection (P) subscale. Further, the P subscale proved to be a statistically significant predictor of overall CDSE (ρ < .05). The factors of psychological birth order had fewer statistically significant relationships with CDSE and associated factors and did not demonstrate statistically significant predictive ability with CDSE. The significant relationships and predictive ability of specific factors of the lifestyle construct, as well as the significant relationships of psychological birth order, found in this study have implications for increasing the theoretical knowledge base and vocational applicability of Individual Psychology as well as gaining further practical understanding of utilizing these constructs in counseling and vocational assessment.

Filial responsibility and familism were examined among a sample of Latino youth through a number of diverse methods that included variable centered and person centered analyses. Effects of gender, birth order, and immigration age were examined. An exploratory principal components analysis of the Adolescent Filial Responsibility Questionnaire-Revised revealed that the most interpretable solution included five factors: fairness, chores, culture brokering, emotional tasks, and overburden. ANOVA analyses found significant main effects of birth order on culture brokering and chores, of gender on emotional tasks, and of immigration age on culture brokering. Cluster analysis identified five groups based on adolescents’ responses: traditional overburden, traditional balanced, non-traditional culturebrokers, traditional low, and non-traditional overburden. Chi-square analyses found significant birth order and gender differences within the traditional low cluster and immigration age differences within the traditional overburden, non-traditional culturebrokers, traditional low, and traditional balanced clusters.

Filial responsibility was examined among a sample of Latino adolescents using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data in order to understand both the positive and negative impact different patterns of responsibilities may have on psychological adjustment and interpersonal competence. This study attempted to move beyond a deficit-based approach to also understanding the mechanisms that allow youth to thrive despite exposure to difficult situations. Furthermore, birth order, gender, and immigration age were examined as potential moderators. Cluster analysis identified four groups based on adolescents’ self-reported levels of responsibility, including, fair balanced, unfair overwhelmed, fair low, and unfair low. Results found that adolescents who perceived their responsibilities as fair reported better levels of psychological adjustment. In addition, adolescents in the fair low cluster reported lower levels of interpersonal competence than all other cluster groups. Lastly, birth order was found to moderate the relation between cluster group and positive psychological adjustment. Specifically, oldest children in the unfair overwhelmed cluster reported higher levels of positive psychological adjustment than oldest children in the unfair low cluster.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between job satisfaction, birth order and sensation seeking. The sample consisted of 179 jobholders in four different organizations in southern Sweden, with an average age of 44 years (SD = 12,12). A questionnaire consisting of three parts was used to map out and measure the participants’ family background, birth order, job satisfaction and sensation seeking. The study showed no significant relationship between birth order and job satisfaction (p = 0,127). Furthermore, the study showed a significant relationship between sensation seeking and job satisfaction (p = 0,025). Finally the analyses showed that laterborns had a significantly higher score on the sensation seeking scale, used in the questionnaire, than firstborns (p = 0,015). The study concludes that sensation seeking is a significant factor when it comes to prediction of job satisfaction. / SAMMANFATTNING Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka huruvida det fanns ett samband mellan arbetstillfredsställelse och syskonplacering, med hänsyn taget till spänningssökande. Stickprovet bestod av 179 arbetstagare inom fyra organisationer i södra Sverige med en medelålder på 44 år (SD = 12,12). Instrumentet som användes för insamling av data bestod av en enkät med tre delar. Dessa delar kartlade och mätte deltagarnas familjebakgrund, syskonplacering, arbetstillfredsställelse och spänningssökande. Studien visade att det inte fanns något samband mellan syskonplacering och arbetstillfredsställelse (p = 0,127). Vidare visade studien att individer med ett högt mått av spänningssökande upplevde högre arbetstillfredsställelse än individer med ett lågt mått av spänningssökande (p = 0,025). Slutligen framkom det att yngrebarn hade ett högre mått av spänningssökande än individer med en annan placering i syskonskaran (p = 0,015). Spänningssökande är alltså av vikt när det kommer till tillfredsställelse på arbetet.