Developmental trajectories of children’s sibling jealousy after the birth of a sibling: Strict parental control,parenting stress and parental depression as pre-birth predictors

Abstract

This longitudinal research identified the developmental trajectories of sibling jealousy in firstborn children (M age = 49.9 months; 55% boys) among 107 Chinese families from 1 to 12 months after the birth of a younger sibling. Four sibling jealousy trajectories were identified: (a) low-increasing, (b) middle-stable, (c) high-stable, and (d) sharp-increasing. Trajectory group membership varied as a function of pre-birth parental factors including strict parental control (i.e., tiger parenting), parenting stress, and parental depression. These results highlight the benefit of examining the development of sibling jealousy over the transition to siblinghood and the importance to recognize pre-birth parental characteristics, especially paternal factors, as determinants when identifying children who may be at greater risk of adjustment difficulties following the birth of a younger sibling.

Keywords

China birth of a sibling developmental trajectories parental factors sibling jealousy developmental psychology

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ashton-James

C. E.

Kushlev

Dunn

E. W.

(2013). Parents reap what they sow: Child-centrism and parental well-being. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(6), 635–642. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613479804

Barnette

J. J.

(2000). Effects of stem and likert response option reversals on survey internal consistency: If you feel the need, there is a better alternative to using those negatively worded stems. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60(3), 361–370. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131640021970592

Beck

A. T.

Steer

R. A.

Brown

(1996). Beck depression inventory II manual. The Psychological Corporation.

Beck

A. T.

Steer

R. A.

Carbin

M. G.

(1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck depression inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8(1), 77–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(88)90050-5

Buist

K. L.

Deković

Prinzie

(2013). Sibling relationship quality and psychopathology of children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.10.007

Chan

S. M.

Bowes

Wyver

(2009). Parenting style as a context for emotion socialization. Early Education and Development, 20(4), 631–656. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280802541973

Cheah

C. S. L.

Leung

C. Y. Y.

Zhou

(2013). Understanding “tiger parenting” through the perceptions of Chinese immigrant mothers: Can Chinese and U.S. parenting coexist? Asian American Journal of Psychology, 4(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031217

Chen

B.-B.

(2014). Rural-to-urban migrant children’s behaviors and adaptation within migration social contexts in China. In Dimitrova

Bender

van de Vijver

(Eds.), Global perspectives on well-being in immigrant families (pp. 75–94). Springer.

Chen

B.-B.

(2020a). The relationship between Chinese mothers’ parenting stress and sibling relationships: A moderated mediation model of maternal warmth and co-parenting. Early Child Development and Care, 190(9), 1350–1358. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2018.1536048

10.

Chen

B.-B.

(2020b). Socialization values of Chinese parents: Does parents’ educational level matter? Current Psychology, 39(2), 511–517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9772-8

11.

Chen

B.-B.

Han

Wang

Sui

Chen

Wan

(2018). The reaction of firstborn children to a sibling before the birth: The role of the time at which they are told about the mother’s pregnancy and their effortful control. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 36(2), 158–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2018.1437257

12.

Chen

B.-B.

Yang

Chen

(2022). Chinese mothers’ parental burnout and adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems: The mediating role of maternal hostility. Developmental Psychology, 58(4), 768–777. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001311

13.

Chen

B.-B.

Tan

J.-P.

(2021). Brothers and sisters in China: No longer the one-child family. In Buchanan

Rotkirch

(Eds.), Sibling relationships across the life course (pp. 185–201). Palgrave Macmillan.

14.

Chen

B.-B.

Volling

(2022). Paternal and maternal rejection and Chinese children’s internalizing and externalizing problems across the transition to siblinghood: A developmental cascade model of family influence. Child Development.

15.

Chua

(2011). Battle hymn of the tiger mother. Bloomsbury Publishing.

16.

Crnic

K. A.

Greenberg

M. T.

(1990). Minor parenting stresses with young children. Child Development, 61(5), 1628–1637. https://doi.org/10.2307/1130770

17.

Dunn

Kendrick

(1982). Siblings: Love, envy, & understanding. Harvard University Press.

18.

Hamwey

M. K.

Whiteman

S. D.

(2021). Jealousy links comparisons with siblings to adjustment among emerging adults. Family Relations, 70(2), 483–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12428

19.

Hart

S. L.

Carrington

H. A.

Tronick

E. Z.

Carroll

S. R.

(2004). When infants lose exclusive maternal attention: Is it jealousy? Infancy, 6(1), 57–78. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327078in0601_3

20.

D. Y. F.

(1986). Chinese patterns of socialization: A critical review. In Bond

M. H.

(Ed.), The psychology of the Chinese people (pp. 1–37). Oxford University Press.

21.

Hong

Liu

(2021). Parenting stress, social support and parenting self-efficacy in Chinese families: Does the number of children matter? Early Child Development and Care, 191(14), 2269–2280. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2019.1702036

22.

Bentler

P. M.

(1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

23.

Jensen

A. C.

Killoren

S. E.

Campione-Barr

Padilla

Chen

B.-B.

(2022). Sibling relationships in adolescence and young adulthood in multiple contexts: A critical review. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221104188

24.

Kendrick

Dunn

(1982). Protest or pleasure? The response of first-born children to interactions between their mothers and infant siblings. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 23(2), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1982.tb00057.x

25.

Kim

S. Y.

Wang

Orozco-Lapray

Shen

Murtuza

(2013). Does “tiger parenting” exist? Parenting profiles of Chinese Americans and adolescent developmental outcomes. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 4(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030612

26.

Kim

S. Y.

Wang

Y. J.

Shen

Y. S.

Hou

(2015). Stability and change in adjustment profiles among Chinese American adolescents: The role of parenting. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(9), 1735–1751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0303-3

27.

Kolak

A. M.

Volling

B. L.

(2011). Sibling jealousy in early childhood: Longitudinal links to sibling relationship quality. Infant and Child Development, 20(2), 213–226. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.690

28.

Kreppner

(1988). Changes in parent-child relationships with the birth of the second child. Marriage & Family Review, 12(3-4), 157–181. https://doi.org/10.1300/J002v12n03_09

29.

Lam

C. B.

McHale

S. M.

Lam

C. S.

Chung

K. K. H.

Cheung

R. Y. M.

(2021). Sibling relationship qualities and peer and academic adjustment: A multi-informant longitudinal study of Chinese families. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(5), 584–594. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000744

30.

Liu

Guo

(2010). Parenting practices and their relevance to child behaviors in Canada and China. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51(2), 109–114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00795.x

31.

Martinez

M. M.

Armenta

B. E.

(2020). Trajectories of depressive symptoms among North American indigenous adolescents: Considering predictors and outcomes. Child Development, 91(3), 932–948. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13268

32.

Miller

A. L.

Volling

B. L.

McElwain

N. L.

(2000). Sibling jealousy in a triadic context with mothers and fathers. Social Development, 9(4), 433–457. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9507.00137

33.

Millsap

R. E.

(2002). Structural equation modeling: A user’s guide. In Drasgow

Schmitt

(Eds.), Measuring and analyzing behavior in organizations: Advances in measurement and data analysis (pp. 257–301). Jossey-Bass.

34.

Moen

Robison

Dempster-McClain

(1995). Caregiving and women’s well-being: A life course approach. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(3), 259–273. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137342

35.

Mroczek

D. K.

Kolarz

C. M.

(1998). The effect of age on positive and negative affect: A developmental perspective on happiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(5), 1333–1349. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.5.1333

36.

Murphy

McCurdy

Jehl

Rowan

Larrimore

(2020). Jealousy behaviors in early childhood: Associations with attachment and temperament. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 44(3), 266–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025419877974

37.

Muthén

L. K.

Muthén

B. O.

(2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Muthén & Muthén.

38.

Nylund

K. L.

Asparouhov

Muthén

B. O.

(2007). Deciding on the number of classes in latent class analysis and growth mixture modeling: A monte carlo simulation study. Structural Equation Modeling, 14(4), 535–569. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701575396

39.

Volling

B. L.

Gonzalez

Rosenberg

Song

J.-H.

(2017). Chapter II. Methods and procedures for the family transitions study. Monographs of the Society for Research on Child Development, 82(3), 26–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12308

40.

Orri

Girard

L.-C.

Pingault

J.-B.

Rouquette

Herba

Falissard

Cote

S. M.

Berthoz

(2019). Harsh parenting practices mediate the association between parent affective profiles and child adjustment outcomes: Differential associations for mothers and fathers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(1), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025418769376

41.

Qian

Yang

Tian

Dou

(2021). Sibling jealousy and temperament: The mediating effect of emotion regulation in China during COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, Article 729883. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.729883

42.

Rauer

A. J.

Volling

B. L.

(2007). Differential parenting and sibling jealousy: Developmental correlates of young adults' romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 14(4), 495–511. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2007.00168.x

43.

Reinecke

(2006). Longitudinal analysis of adolescents’ deviant and delinquent behavior. Methodology, 2(3), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-2241.2.3.100

44.

Schriesheim

C. A.

Eisenbach

R. J.

Hill

K. D.

(1991). The effect of negation and polar opposite item reversals on questionnaire reliability and validity: An experimental investigation. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 51(1), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164491511005

45.

Szabó

Dubas

J. S.

van Aken

M. A. G.

(2014). Jealousy in firstborn toddlers within the context of the primary family triad. Social Development, 23(2), 325–339. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12039

46.

Tam

H. L.

Kwok

Ling

C. C. Y.

C. I. K.

(2018). The moderating effects of positive psychological strengths on the relationship between tiger parenting and child anxiety. Children and Youth Services Review, 94, 207–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.10.012

47.

Thompson

J. A.

Halberstadt

A. G.

(2008). Children's accounts of sibling jealousy and their implicit theories about relationships. Social Development, 17(3), 488–511. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2007.00435.x

48.

Uğur

Ç.

Yürümez

Yılmazer

(2019). Emotional and behavioral problems in infants and preschool children: Prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors. The European Research Journal, 5, 134–141. https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.379887

49.

van de Schoot

(2015). Latent trajectory studies: The basics, how to interpret the results, and what to report. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6(1), Article 27514. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v6.27514

50.

Vermunt

J. K.

(2010). Longitudinal research using mixture models. In van Montfort

Oud

J. H. L.

Satorra

(Eds.), Longitudinal research with latent variables (pp. 119–152). Springer.

51.

Volling

B. L.

(2012). Family transitions following the birth of a sibling: An empirical review of changes in the firstborn’s adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 138(3), 497–528. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026921

52.

Volling

B. L.

Blandon

A. Y.

(2005). Positive indicators of sibling relationship quality: The Sibling Inventory of Behavior. In Moore

K. A.

Lippman

L. H.

(Eds.), What do children need to flourish? Conceptualizing and measuring indicators of positive development (pp. 203–219). Springer Science.

53.

Volling

B. L.

Gonzalez

Song

J.-H.

Rosenberg

Stevenson

M. M.

(2017). Developmental trajectories of children’s adjustment across the transition to siblinghood: Pre-birth predictors and sibling outcomes at one year. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 82(3), 7–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.v82.3/issuetoc

54.

Volling

B. L.

Kennedy

Jackey

(2010). The development of sibling jealousy. In Hart

Legerstee

(Eds.), Handbook of jealousy: Theory, research, and multidisciplinary approaches (pp. 387–417). Wiley.

55.

Volling

B. L.

Steinberg

E. J.

Kuo

P. X.

(2020). Is it easier the second time around? Fathers’ roles across the transition from one child to two. In Fitzgerald

H. E.

von Klitzing

Cabrera

N. J.

Scarano de Mendonça

Skjøthaug

(Eds.), Handbook of fathers and child development: Prenatal to preschool (pp. 245–265). Springer.

56.

Volling

B. L.

Gonzalez

Kennedy

D. E.

Rosenberg

(2014). Children’s responses to mother–infant and father–infant interaction with a baby sibling: Jealousy or joy? Journal of Family Psychology, 28(5), 634–644. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037811

57.

Volling

B. L.

Gonzalez

Tengelitsch

Stevenson

M. M.

(2019). Maternal and paternal trajectories of depressive symptoms predict family risk and children's emotional and behavioral problems after the birth of a sibling. Development and Psychopathology, 31(04), 1307–1324. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579418000743

58.

Xie

(2019). ‘Tiger mom, panda dad’: A study of contemporary Chinese parenting profiles. Early Child Development and Care, 189(2), 284–300 https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2017.1318870

59.

Farver

J. M.

Zhang

Zeng

Cai

(2005). Mainland Chinese parenting styles and parent–child interaction. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29(6), 524–531. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650250500147121

60.

Yaremych

H. E.

Volling

B. L.

(2020). Sibling relationships and mothers’ and fathers’ emotion socialization practices: A within-family perspective. Early Child Development and Care, 190, 195–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2018.1461095