Associations between birth order with mental wellbeing and psychological distress in midlife: Findings from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70)

Educational Gradient of Multi-partner Fertility: First Estimates for the UK

Recent demographic changes in Western countries have resulted in higher rates of partnership dissolution and serial partnering, and an increase in childbearing across multiple partnerships. This has given rise to more complex family dynamics including multi-partner fertility (MPF), defined as having biological children with two or more partners. Yet estimates of MPF in the UK have not previously been available. This paper describes an 'indirect approach' to estimate the prevalence of MPF in the UK, for men and women, given different assumptions. The paper additionally explores differences in MPF according to own and parental educational attainment. Amongst those born in Britain in 1970, 12-14% of men and 15-18% of women experienced MPF by age 42, depending on the assumptions made. For most of the cohort, MPF occurred with two different coresidential partners. We have established that MPF is a common family formation in the UK, but there are large educational disparities in MPF prevalence.

Parental Perception of Children's Mental Health During the Pandemic: Insights From an Italian Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

This study explores the impact of the pandemic on children's mental health. It examined the understanding of parents regarding their children's mental condition and their ability to identify issues, 2 years post the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional design, 507 Italian parents reported on their youngest child aged between 2 and 17, totaling 507 children. The outcomes focused on were parental perception of children's mental health deterioration, scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) above the clinical cut-off, and parental under-recognition of mental health issues. Descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression models were executed (significance at p < .05).

RESULTS

Parents were 88.1% women (median age 41 years, interquartile range [IQR] = 36-47). Their children were 50.3% female [median age 6 years (IQR = 4-11)]. The data revealed 21.1% of parents perceived a deterioration in their children's mental health, while 44.2% had SDQ scores above the cut-off. Parental under-recognition of mental issues was found in 20.1% of cases. Significant correlations were found between parental perception of deterioration, SDQ scores, and factors like parental mental distress and children's sleep issues.

IMPLICATIONS

The findings suggest that schools and verified websites can serve as critical conduits for providing parents with reliable information. By promoting early identification and intervention, such mechanisms can help ensure mental health equity for children.

CONCLUSIONS

The research highlights the effect of the pandemic on children's mental health and the issue of parental under-recognition. The results underscore the importance of public health initiatives that enhance mental health information accessibility and reliability for parents.

An integrated model: marital effect on adolescent behavioral problems through siblings

Introduction

Few studies have simultaneously focused on the effects of marital conflict and marital intimacy on adolescent development, and little is known about the role of sibling relationships. Thus, this study examined the association between marital relationships and adolescent behavioral problems, including depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior. At the same time, we explored the mediating role of sibling hostility and sibling affection and the moderating effect of birth order in multichild families in China.

Methods

Participants included 842 adolescents (Mage = 12.60, 46.2% boys) from Henan Province. Marital relationship, sibling relationship, birth order, depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. SEM was then used to examine the role of sibling relationships and birth order in the association between marital relationship and adolescent behavioral problems.

Results

Our results showed that marital intimacy was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior, while marital conflict was positively correlated with them. Marital intimacy was associated with depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior through both sibling hostility and sibling affection. Marital conflict was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior through sibling hostility. In addition, the first-born adolescents were more sensitive to marital intimacy.

Discussion

Given that the occurrence of adolescent behavioral problems is more common in contemporary society, our findings suggest that establishing a more intimate and warmer family atmosphere and promoting positive interactions between siblings may help control adolescent mental health problems.

Birth order and sickness absence: Register-based evidence from Finland

BACKGROUND

In working ages, sickness absence is strongly related to persons' health condition. We studied how birth order was associated with receipt of sickness allowance, distinguishing between mental disorders, musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.

METHODS

A follow-up study based on the entire Finnish population was conducted for sibling groups born 1969-1982, in which each sibling was observed from age 35 years in the period 2004-2018. Focus was on within-family variation in first-time sickness allowance receipt.

RESULTS

Results of stratified Cox regressions revealed that each increase in birth order was associated with a slightly higher risk of sickness absence from any cause. For mental disorders, associations were stronger; the hazard ratio as compared to first borns was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.98-1.08) of second borns, 1.10 (0.99-1.22) of third borns, and 1.52 (1.25-1.85) of fourth or higher borns. Corresponding numbers for musculoskeletal disorders were 1.12 (1.07-1.17), 1.19 (1.09-1.30) and 1.15 (0.96-1.38), and for injuries 1.06 (1.01-1.12), 1.09 (1.21-1.14) and 0.96 (0.77-1.20), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Birth order effects were generally stronger for women than men, and to some extent influenced by educational level, occupation, income, and family composition. Possible latent mechanisms behind the associations may relate to within-family dynamics at childhood.