Study reveals which sibling most likely to display disruptive behaviour
Who is more likely to cause family drama: the first, middle or last born?
There have always been theories about sibling behaviour.
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Is the eldest the most responsible and accomplished?
Do the youngest siblings always get what they want?
Are middle siblings always the most chaotic and reckless?
Let's not even get started on only children...
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Society has placed these labels and expectations on the sibling order without much to back it up.
Until now.
A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, led by MIT economist Joseph Doyle, examined families from vastly different areas.
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The families were from Denmark and Florida, which differ in culture and schooling system, but the results were remarkably consistent.
The research found that second-born sons were 20% - 40% more likely to be disciplined in school and come into contact with the criminal justice system than their older siblings.
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Not only did they find that second-born siblings were more disruptive, but more specifically, second-born boys.
The findings show that the results were the same compared to siblings from the same family. This means that external factors such as healthcare, parental income or school quality are not to blame.
This proves significant as when a child is born into a family seemingly outweighs where the child grows up.
The outcomes tracked by the study included school suspensions, truancy and incarceration.
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In Denmark, second-born boys were 40% more likely to receive a prison sentence by age 21 than firstborns, and in Florida, they were 72% more likely to be suspended from school.
This does seem slightly mind-boggling, so what's causing it?
After examining various potential causes, from birth complications to differences in school quality, they were all ruled out.
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Second-borns, on average, were healthier and attended the same school as their siblings, often even attending better schools.
The researchers did find a difference in parental time investment, with firstborns receiving more one-on-one time and attention from their parents.
When the second sibling comes along, it's only natural for attention to be divided, but the firstborn often continues receiving more intensive parental care.
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This unbalanced early investment could affect the development of non-cognitive skills, including emotional regulation and impulse control. These traits strongly link to behavioural outcomes in later life.
Of course this does not mean that all second-born children are troublemakers.
The aim of this study was to enourage a more nuanced view and highlight that birth order does subtly shape childhood experiences.
It simply suggests that if you are raising more than one child, you could reflect on how your time and attention is spent between each child.
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