A longitudinal study of the effects of the birth of a sibling during preschool and early grade school years

This study investigates the changes in socioemotional development, achievement, and self-concept after the birth of a sibling in a cohort of preschool-aged children over a 2-year period and a 4-year period. We test whether the birth of a sibling is associated with changes in the family environment and in children's developmental trajectories. We nse data from nonminority children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The birth of a sibling is associated with a significant increase in the behavior problems of the children, but these increases are temporary. The birth of a sibling also is associated with lower reading recognition scores among economically disadvantaged children. The impact of the birth of a sibling on self-perception is large and negative, and this effect is stronger among the children of economically disadvantaged families.