The effect of older sibling, postnatal maternal stress, and household factors on language development in two- to four-year-old children

Dev Psychol. 2022 Nov;58(11):2096-2113. doi: 10.1037/dev0001417. Epub 2022 Aug 11.

Abstract

Previous literature has shown that family structure affects language development. Here, factors relating to older siblings (their presence in the house, sex, and age gap), mothers (maternal stress), and household size and residential crowding were assessed to systematically examine the different roles of these factors. Data from mother-child dyads in a Singaporean birth cohort, (677-855 dyads; 52% males; 58% to 61% Chinese, 20% to 24% Malay, 17% to 19% Indian) collected when children were 24, 48, and 54 months old, were analyzed. There was a negative effect of having an older sibling, moderated by the siblings' age gap, but not by the older sibling's sex, nor household size or residential crowding. Maternal stress affected language outcomes in some analyses but not others. Implications for understanding the possible effects of family structure on language development are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Child, Preschool
  • Family Characteristics*
  • Family Relations
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language Development
  • Male
  • Mothers
  • Sibling Relations
  • Siblings*