The Effect of Older Sibling, Postnatal Maternal Stress, and Household Factors on Language Development in Two to Four-Year-Old Children

Naomi Havron, Irena Lovcevic, Michelle Z.L. Kee, Helen Chen, Yap Seng Chong, Mary Daniel, Birit F.P. Broekman, Sho Tsuji

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2096-2113
Number of pages18
JournalDevelopmental Psychology
Volume58
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 Aug 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Psychological Association

Keywords

  • Cognitive development
  • Household size
  • Language development
  • Maternal stress
  • Older siblings

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Demography
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Life-span and Life-course Studies

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