One Order Fits All? Birth Order and Education in Immigrant Families

Abstract Birth order causes social inequality between siblings. In Western countries, earlier-born perform better than later-born. In non-Western countries, however, earlier-born generally perform worse than later-born. We use administrative data to compare birth order effects between the native population and Norwegian-born children of immigrants (450,864 individuals nested within 202,191 families). The outcome is based on lower secondary school points—a combined measurement of all marks at the end of compulsory education. We found negative effects of birth order on school points for Norwegian natives. This finding is in line with previous studies from Western countries using measures of educational achievement. Birth order effects amongst Norwegian-born children of immigrant parents vary according to maternal country of origin, with some displaying similar effects as natives and others displaying no birth order effects. These findings are surprising in light of the main theories on birth order, which are universalistic and do not predict group-differences. We argue that the universalistic theories need to be supplemented to account for our findings, and discuss the potential importance of cultural variation in family-related behaviours such as strategic parenting, kindergarten attendance, and peer-influence in high-achieving immigrant groups.

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New Partner, New Order? Multipartnered Fertility and Birth Order Effects on Educational Achievement

Demography ◽

10.1007/s13524-020-00905-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 1625-1646

Author(s):

Mats Lillehagen ◽

Martin Arstad Isungset

Keyword(s):

Birth Order ◽

Educational Achievement ◽

Alternative Interpretation ◽

Order Effects ◽

New Order ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Socioeconomic Outcomes ◽

Resource Dilution ◽

Multipartnered Fertility ◽

Maternal Resources

Abstract A substantial amount of research shows that younger siblings perform worse than their older sisters and brothers in several socioeconomic outcomes, including educational achievement. Most of these studies examined stable families and excluded half-siblings. However, the increasing prevalence of multipartnered fertility implies that many children grow up in nonnuclear families. We examine whether there is evidence for birth order effects in this context, which offers an opportunity to test and potentially expand the explanatory scope of the two main theories on birth order effects. We use comprehensive Norwegian registry data to study siblings in the 1985–1998 cohorts born to mothers or fathers who parented children with at least two partners. We provide evidence for negative effects of birth order on lower secondary school grades in both cases. Children born to fathers displaying multipartnered fertility tend to have lower grades than older full siblings but perform more similarly or better compared with older half-siblings. For siblings born to mothers with the multipartnered fertility pattern, later-born siblings do worse in school compared with all older siblings. This indicates that negative birth order effects tend to operate either within or across sets of full siblings, depending on the sex of the parent displaying multipartnered fertility. We argue that these findings can be explained by a combination of resource dilution/confluence theory and sex differences in residential arrangements following union dissolutions. We also suggest an alternative interpretation: maternal resources could be more important for generating negative birth order effects.

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Birth Order Effects on Infant Attachment: Birth Order of Infant and Primary Caregiver

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e413782005-856 ◽

1999 ◽

Author(s):

Lara C. Barlow ◽

Suzanne M. Cox

Keyword(s):

Birth Order ◽

Primary Caregiver ◽

Order Effects ◽

Infant Attachment

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Birth order effects on autism symptom domains

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2004.09.012 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 150 (2) ◽

pp. 199-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Abraham Reichenberg ◽

Christopher Smith ◽

James Schmeidler ◽

Jeremy M. Silverman

Keyword(s):

Birth Order ◽

Order Effects ◽

Symptom Domains

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Family Background and Educational Attainment – Are there Birth Order Effects in Germany?

Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik ◽

10.1515/jbnst-2015-0105 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 235 (1) ◽

pp. 41-60

Author(s):

Martina Eschelbach

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Life History ◽

Birth Order ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Family Background ◽

Order Effects ◽

Equal Opportunities ◽

Birth Cohorts ◽

Higher Secondary Education ◽

Life History Study

Summary This paper contributes to the literature on the determinants of children’s human capital by analyzing the effects of birth order in Germany. These effects are typically attributed to sibling rivalry for parental resources. For our analysis we use data collected as part of the German Life History Study on birth cohorts 1946-1977. We find a substantial positive impact of being first born on the probability of completing higher secondary education. Analyzing gender differences, we find stronger effects for boys. Furthermore, birth order effects are more prevailing in small families. The results are discussed against the background of equal opportunities in the German educational system.

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Cumulative Risk and Immigrant Youth’s Health and Educational Achievement: Mediating Effects of Inter- and Intra-Familial Social Capital

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x17717501 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (6) ◽

pp. 793-813

Author(s):

Jing Zhang ◽

Jyoti Savla ◽

Hsiu-Lan Cheng

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Young Adulthood ◽

Family Cohesion ◽

Educational Achievement ◽

Cumulative Risk ◽

Immigrant Parents ◽

School Involvement ◽

Mediating Effects ◽

Parental School Involvement ◽

Using Data

Using data from Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, this study examined the longitudinal effects of cumulative risk of immigrant parents on immigrant youth’s health and educational achievement in young adulthood. The mediating effects of intra- (i.e., family cohesion) and inter-familial (i.e., parental school involvement) social capital were also examined. The findings showed that cumulative risk was negatively associated with youth’s health and educational achievement in young adulthood. In addition, parental school involvement mediated the association between cumulative risk and youth’s health and educational achievement. The findings suggest that inter-familial social connections may be a critical intervention target for immigrant youth preventive interventions.

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Effects of weekly pain monitoring on back pain outcomes: a non-randomised controlled study

Chiropractic & Manual Therapies ◽

10.1186/s12998-021-00393-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alice Kongsted ◽

Tue Secher Jensen ◽

Klaus Doktor ◽

Lise Hestbæk

Keyword(s):

Back Pain ◽

Pain Intensity ◽

Activity Limitation ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Group Differences ◽

Control Group ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Randomised Controlled Study ◽

Pain Outcomes ◽

Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Disease monitoring is an important element of self-management of several chronic diseases. Pain monitoring has become very easily available, but the role in musculoskeletal pain conditions is not clear. Awareness of pain might be helpful for people to understand pain, but focusing on pain may on the contrary negatively affect pain experience and behaviours. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential impact of pain monitoring on low back pain (LBP), specifically to determine if pain intensity, activity limitation and pain control, differed between patients with weekly pain monitoring over 12 months and patients with follow-ups at 2 weeks, 3 months and 12 months. Methods This was a non-randomised controlled study embedded in a cohort study with data collection November 1st 2016 to December 21st 2018. Adults seeking care for LBP were enrolled at the first visit to a chiropractor and followed with surveys after 2 weeks, 3 months and 12 months. Those enrolled first, n = 1,623, furthermore received weekly SMS-questions about pain frequency and pain intensity, whereas those enrolled next was the control group, n = 1,269 followed only by surveys. Outcomes at 12-months were compared, adjusting for group differences on baseline parameters. Results LBP intensity (0–10) was slightly lower at 12-months follow-up in the SMS group than the control group (adjusted beta − 0.40 (95% CI: − 0.62; − 0.19)). No relevant between-group differences were observed for activity limitation (0–100) (1.51 (95% CI: − 0.83; 3.85)) or ability to control pain (0–10) (− 0.08 (95% CI − 0.31; 0.15)). Conclusions Frequent pain monitoring did not demonstrate any negative effects of weekly pain monitoring, and it was perhaps even helpful. The role of self-monitoring as part of self-managing LBP should be explored further including optimal frequencies, formats, and methods for feedback. Trial registration The study was not registered as a clinical trial.

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