Born to be wild? Second-born kids more likely to be troublemakers, says study

An extensive study conducted by researchers from MIT, Northwestern University, the University of Florida, and other institutions puts spotlight on second-born children, particularly second-born boys.

According to the study, second-born childrenare 20 to 40 per cent more likely to face disciplinary issues in school and become involved in the criminal justice system when compared to their first-born sibling.

MIT economist Joseph Doyle, one of the paper's authors, expressed his astonishment at the results during an NPR interview. He pointed out that second-born children, compared to their older siblings, exhibit a significantly higher likelihood of ending up in prison, experiencing school suspensions, and engaging in juvenile delinquency.

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"We do find that parental time investment measured by time out of the labour force is higher for first-borns at ages 2-4, suggesting that the arrival of a second-born child extends early-childhood parental investments for first-borns," he wrote.

The research, conducted in Denmark and Florida, showed remarkably similar results across the two locations, and it took various factors into account, including infant and childhood health, parental investments, school quality, and sibling composition.

Some major takeaways

One noteworthy discovery from the study was that maternal employment and the useof daycare services were more common for second-born children between the ages of twoandfour compared to their older siblings.

As the study explains, first-born children often enjoy undivided attention until the arrival of their younger siblings.

However, the introduction of a second-born child can lead to an extension of parental investment in the first-born child, dividing parental attention between the two siblings.

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(With inputs from agencies)