The influence of birth order on anxiety disorders in emerging adulthood: A longitudinal study.

Asima Mehaboob Khan; Rizwan Taj; Aamir Naveed; Kamran Mahmood; Abdul Wali

doi:10.32593/jstmu/Vol6.Iss2.274

Asima Mehaboob Khan Associate Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
Rizwan Taj Dean, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Chairperson, Psychiatry Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
Aamir Naveed Postgraduate Psychiatry Trainee, Department of Psychiatry, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
Kamran Mahmood Specialty Trainee in General Adult Psychiatry, Humber NHS Trust, United Kingdom
Abdul Wali Postgraduate Psychiatry Trainee, Department of Psychiatry, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32593/jstmu/Vol6.Iss2.274

Keywords: Birth order, Anxiety disorders, Emerging adulthood, Family dynamics, Mental health, Personality traits

Abstract

Introduction: The current longitudinal scholarly research analyses the impact of birth order on children's psychological and mental health status.

Objective: The birth order indicates the paramount effect on an individual's psychological, physiological and behavioural transformation.

Methodology: This research study enrolled 150 individuals aged 18 to 25 years to assess their anxiety status in association with birth order. The study applied a mixed-method approach involving structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focal group discussions.

Results: The statistical analysis yields that birth order is statistically inversely related to the level of anxiety, having weak statistical evidence of significance. It predicts that the latterly born (younger) children experience fewer episodes and severity of anxiety as compared to the elder ones.

Conclusion: Family support is a critical factor in buffering anxiety among children. The study suggests the parental consideration of birth order to provide a balance of attention and care to overcome the psychological adverse outcomes among children. Further scholarly attention is required to study the association among these dynamics with multiple approaches for further analysis of associated aspects.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Howe N, Paine AL, Ross HS, Recchia H. Sibling relations in early and middle childhood. The Wiley‐Blackwell handbook of childhood social development. 2022; 5:443-58.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119679028.ch24

Hughes C, Ronchi L, Foley S, Dempsey C, Lecce S, I‐Fam Covid Consortium. Siblings in lockdown: International evidence for birth order effects on child adjustment in the Covid-19 pandemic. Soc Dev. 2023.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12668

Hossain MM, Alam MA, Masum MH. Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among students of Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh. Health Sci Rep. 2022; 5(2):e559.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.559

Mohammadi Ahmadabadi Z, Ardakan AM, Mottaghi S. Determining the Moderating Role of Birth Order in the Relationship between Mothers' Emotional Maturity and Perfectionism with Children's Anxiety in First Period of Elementary School. Contemp Psych. 2022; 16(2):89-101.

Goering M, Mrug S. The distinct roles of biological and perceived pubertal timing in delinquency and depressive symptoms from adolescence to adulthood. J Youth Adolesc. 2022; 51(11):2092-113.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01657-7

Cohrdes C, Meyrose AK, Ravens-Sieberer U, Hölling H. Adolescent Family Characteristics Partially Explain Differences in Emerging Adulthood Subjective Well-Being After the Experience of Major Life Events: Results from the German KiGGS Cohort Study. J Adult Dev. 2023; 30(3):237-55.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-022-09424-5

Heim C, Nemeroff CB. The role of childhood trauma in the neurobiology of mood and anxiety disorders: preclinical and clinical studies. Biol Psychiatry. 2001; 49(12):1023-39.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(01)01157-X

Australian R. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders. Aust N Zeal J Psychiatry. 2005; 39(1-2):1-30.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/j.1440-1614.2005.01516.x

McWilliams N. Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process. Guilford Press; 2011

Parker JS, Purvis L, Williams B. Religious/spiritual struggles and mental health among black adolescents and emerging adults: A meta-synthesis. J Black Psychol. 2023; 49(2):153-99.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984221136800

Mahlaba AM. "To the black women, we all know": three women's contemporary mobilizations of history in relation to questions of status, belonging, and identity in Mpolweni Mission, KwaZulu-Natal (Master's thesis, Faculty of Humanities).

Slattery SM, Perez IA, Ceccherini I, Chen ML, Kurek KC, Yap KL, et al. Transitional care and clinical management of adolescents, young adults, and suspected new adult patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Clin Auton Res. 2023; 33(3):231-49.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-022-00908-8

Spencer SD, Pokhrel P, Helm S, Wilczek K, Galimov A, Sussman S. Emerging adulthood attributes, discrimination, mental health, and substance use in a sample of Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and White college students. Asian Am J Psychol. 2023; 14(1):51.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/aap0000254

Wolff B. Siblings of Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Conditions: Psychosocial and Neurocognitive Risk and Resilience Factors Associated with Mental Health.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26182/9fx5-da39