The transition to siblinghood: Early predictors of maladjustment

This study aimed to explore various forms of child and contextual characteristics in relation to jealousy protest as well as children’s emotional and behavioral adjustment upon the birth of a sibling. Mother-child dyads (N = 77) were observed across two times: during the mother’s final trimester of pregnancy (T1), prior to the arrival of a sibling, as well as one month post-delivery (T2). Maternal-reported questionnaires were used to obtain information regarding child and contextual characteristics including basic demographic information, children’s temperament, and both mother and child depressive symptoms. Videotaped observational interactions were used to obtain measures of children’s affectivity, dyadic synchrony, and children’s presentations of jealousy protest. Findings revealed that pathways of jealousy protest assessed at Time 2 were predicted by child sex, birth order, temperament, and presentations of jealousy protest prior to a sibling’s arrival. Additionally, predictors of adjustment difficulties included child sex, maternal depressive symptoms as well as child depressive symptoms. These findings reflect the importance of the both maternal and child emotional well being in relation to subsequent adjustment to siblinghood. Furthermore, these findings further our understanding of the ontogeny of maladaptive occurrences in elder born children at the junction of a sibling’s arrival.