Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2007. / Härtill 3 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1985. / Typescript (photocopy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-55).

Using data from the 1979 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), I examine the impact of birth order on occupational outcomes within the managerial/professional field. I first assess the impact of birth order within the entire managerial/professional field in the United States and then decompose the field into male-dominated, female-dominated, and mixed gender occupations to provide a specific and nuanced analysis of birth order effects within the field. Finally, I also isolate the impact of birth order specifically within the STEM managerial/professional field, given recent and rising interest in STEM occupations. In general, I find limited evidence that birth order has a significant effect across the entire managerial/professional field, male-dominated, female-dominated, and STEM managerial/professional occupations and that first born children are more likely to be in managerial/professional occupations than later born children. However, on average, these effects disappear as additional demographic, education and family characteristic related controls are added.

Abstract Early family characteristics may influence the later development of severe mental disorders and criminality of a child. The association between an adverse family environment during childhood and its later consequences in adulthood, however, are still widely open. The aim of the present study was to analyse in a longitudinal perspective, family risks of severe hospital-treated mental disorders and criminal behaviour in the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort and to develop a descriptive life span model of schizophrenia. A large, general population birth cohort (N =11 017), the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort was used as a study population. This database provides the information of prospectively collected data on both biological and social aspects of pregnancy, the characteristics of family, the mother, the father, and the child. The information of psychiatric outcomes was gathered from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR) and the data on registered criminal behaviour of the cohort members come from computerized files maintained by the Ministry of Justice. Children born to multiparous mothers (GMP) i.e. those that had undergone at least six deliveries were more commonly treated in mental hospitals later in life (4.5% vs. 3.4%; p=0.028) than children born to mothers that have fewer children. Of the diagnostic groups, the risk of psychoses other than schizophrenia (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.2-4.7), and depressive disorders (OR 2.2; 1.0-4.5) was elevated among adult children of those mothers. Birth order was associated with adult schizophrenia. The risk was elevated among male firstborns (ratio 1.5; 95% CI 1.0-2.2), but it was lower than expected among male lastborns (ratio 0.7; 95% CI 0.5-0.9). The elevated risk was not significantly associated with female schizophrenia patients. On the contrary, the risk was lower than expected among females who were not first, not last or not only children in the family (ratio 0.6; 95% CI 0.3-0.9). Among males the risk for violent crimes later in life was elevated among the only children (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1-3.0). If perinatal risk was additional exposure, the risk increased up to 4-fold (OR 4.4; 95% CI 1.9-10.8). Combining with maternal risks increased the risk up to 6-fold (OR 5.9; 95% CI 3.1-11.3) and with paternal risk up to 8-fold (OR 8.4; 95% CI 3.9-18.1), respectively. Among females the absence of the father during childhood until the age of 14 was the strongest risk factor in predicting later criminality (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.4-4.3). Further, in the families, where the father was present, maternal smoking during pregnancy together with being born unwanted increased the prevalence for criminal offending significantly up to 7.2%. In conclusion, some characteristics of the early childhood family environment were associated with mental disorders and criminality in adulthood and form part of the developmental trajectory of these disorders. Early detection of such children at risk is important in preventing mental disorders and criminality in adulthood.

Att känna sig bevakad är mänskligt, det kan dock vara så att personen ifråga inte är så bevakad som den tror, detta kallas för spotlight-effekt. Åttioåtta högskolestudenter på en högskola i Mellansverige fyllde i en enkät som mätte syskonplacering (om de var äldsta barnet, yngsta barnet, mellanbarn, eller ensambarn), graden de känner sig bevakade samt tillit till andra. Hypotesen till denna studie var att det finns skillnader mellan individer med olika födelseordning beträffande spotlight-effekt och tillit till andra. För att mäta det användes envägs variansanalyser och Pearsons korrelation. Resultaten visade att ensambarn tenderade ha en högre nivå av spotlight-effekt än individer med syskon men skillnaden var inte signifikant. Mellanbarnen erhöll högsta nivån av tillit till andra men skillnaden var inte signifikant. Ett icke-signifikant negativt samband visades mellan spotlight-effekt och tillit. Uppföljande studier torde undersöka spotlight-effekten ur ett positivt/negativt perspektiv, samt eventuell förändring av familjehemmet då små skillnader visades gällande födelseordning.

Historically, research in the field of birth order yielded inconsistent and at times contro-versial results. Researchers have long been interested in the impact of birth order on both social and cognitive development, in part due to the research of Adler. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if psychological birth order directly impacts stu-dent achievement and motivation. The resource dilution theory and confluence model were used to investigate the relationship between sibling perception of family roles within familial settings and academic performance and motivation within the college setting. The quantitative study used an online survey to assess psychological birth order, assess motivation, and obtain demographic information including academic achievement measures. This study yields potentially helpful insight into the arena of differentiation of instruction by introducing a new variable for educators to take into consideration. Criteri-on sampling was employed with a sample (n = 183) of students in community, public, and private colleges. This study found that psychological birth order (first born, middle born, youngest, only child) predicted student motivation in the area of fun seeking (part of the motivation scales). Also, psychological birth order (first born, middle born, youngest child) predicted student motivation in the area of reward responsiveness (another subscale of motivation scales). To initiate positive social change for individual students and address their specific needs, teachers and administrators can use these results to under-stand student motivation and design strategies to motivate students to reach their full po-tential.

Past research has identified adaptive cognitive beliefs and expectations or reasons for living that appear to be lacking in individuals reporting suicidal ideation. The purpose of this study was to examine possible relationships between birth order and reasons for living. Additionally, gender differences were examined with respect to the relationship between these characteristics and reasons for living. It was hypothesized that women would score higher than men, non-ideators would score higher than ideators, and that middle born individuals would score higher than other birth order groups on the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL) and the RFL Survival and Coping Beliefs subscale. Additionally, it was anticipated that women who are non-ideators and middle borns would reveal the highest scores and men who are ideators and firstborns would reveal the lowest scores. Subjects included 219 undergraduate college students (132 females and 87 males) enrolled in introductory psychology courses. Subjects completed a short Self-Report Demographic questionnaire, a brief suicide questionnaire, and the Expanded Reasons for Living Inventory. Results revealed significant main effects for gender and suicidal ideation. Women scored higher than men and non-ideators scored higher than ideators. No significant main effects were found for birth order, although a significant three-way interaction effect was found for birth order, ideation status, and gender on one subscale of the RFL. Significant two-way interaction effects for ideator status and gender were found on two RFL subscales. In summary, results of this study do not support the idea that birth order position is predictive of levels of the beliefs and expectancies about life that are measured by the Reasons for Living Inventory. It is possible that there are birth order effects that are masked by such factors as age span between siblings, blended families, or total family size. It is also possible that birth order indeed has some effect, but only in combination with other variables. Future research may use a different research design to assess such effects.

Parental favoritism is the preference or perception of preference of a parent for one child over another. The present study examines parental favoritism as well as the effects perceived favoritism has on one's self-esteem and if the effects are based on birth order. Participants were 325 undergraduate college students enrolled in introductory level classes. The mean age of the participants was 21.4 with 60% being women and 40% being men. Participants completed a parental favoritism questionnaire developed by the experimenter which assessed if the participant thought his/herself to be favored by a parent compared to a sibling. Self-esteem was assessed by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory. Results indicated no statistically significant main effects or interactions for gender, birth order, or perception of favoritism based on self-esteem. Results also indicated that women perceive favoritism slightly more often than men. Critiques of the present study and implications for future research are also discussed.

Thirty-nine fathers were observed to determine if they interact differently with their child as a result of the child's sex or birth ordinal position.Results indicated that fathers expected more of their sons, had a higher readiness of explanation for them, and criticized them more often. Fathers gave more praise, physical contact and supportive behavior to their daughters. Birth ordinal effects paralleled and interacted wiith the child's sex.Stepwise regression yielded a mean value of 44.16 in explaining the overall variance in dependent variables. It emphasized the number of hours the father spent with his child and family, the father's age, education, and occupation. In comparison to these, the child's sex and ordinal position emerged as having little importance.