Developmental Trajectories of Children's Adjustment across the Transition to Siblinghood

The birth of an infant sibling is a common occurrence in the lives of many toddler and preschool children. The current study examined individual differences in trajectories of young children's behavioral and emotional adjustment after the birth of a sibling. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was conducted with a sample of 241 families expecting their second child using a longitudinal research design across the first year after the sibling's birth (prenatal, 1, 4, 8, and 12 months) on seven syndrome scales of the Child Behavior Checklist. Multiple classes describing different trajectory patterns of adjustment and adaptation emerged. There was no evidence of a persistent maladaptive response indicating children undergo a developmental crisis after the birth of a sibling. Most children were low on all problem behaviors examined and showed little change, although some children did experience more pronounced changes in the borderline or clinical range. There was an Adjustment and Adaptation Response for aggressive behavior, indicating that some young children react to stressful life events but adapt quickly. Data mining procedures uncovered various child, parent, and family variables that discriminated different trajectory classes. Children's temperament, coparenting, parental self-effi cacy, and parent—child attachment relationships were prominent in predicting children's adjustment after the birth of an infant sibling. When trajectory classes were used to predict sibling relationship quality at 12 months, children high on aggression, attention problems, and emotional reactivity engaged in more conflict and less positive involvement with the infant sibling at the end of the first year.

I. INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING THE TRANSITION TO SIBLINGHOOD FROM A DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE 7 Brenda L. Volling II. METHODS AND PROCEDURES FOR THE FAMILY TRANSITIONS STUDY FROM A DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE 26 Wonjung Oh, Brenda L.Volling, Richard Gonzalez, Lauren Rosenberg, and Ju-Hyun Song III. STABILITY AND CHANGE IN CHILDREN'S EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENT AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 46 Brenda L. Volling,Wonjung Oh, and Richard Gonzalez IV. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 53 Brenda L.Volling, Richard Gonzalez,Tianyi Yu, and Wonjung Oh V. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S ATTENTION PROBLEMS AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 72 Ju-Hyun Song,Wonjung Oh, Richard Gonzalez, Brenda L.Volling, and Tianyi Yu VI. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 82 Elizabeth Thomason,Wonjung Oh, Brenda L.Volling, Richard Gonzalez, and Tianyi Yu VII. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 93 Patty X. Kuo, Brenda L.Volling, Richard Gonzalez,Wonjung Oh, and Tianyi Yu VIII. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S WITHDRAWAL AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 106 Wonjung Oh, Ju-Hyun Song, Richard Gonzalez, Brenda L.Volling, and Tianyi Yu IX. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S SOMATIC COMPLAINTS AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 118 Emma Beyers-Carlson, Matthew M. Stevenson, Richard Gonzalez,Wonjung Oh, Brenda L.Volling, and Tianyi Yu X. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S SLEEP PROBLEMS AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 130 Paige Safyer, Matthew M. Stevenson, Richard Gonzalez, Brenda L.Volling, Wonjung Oh, and Tianyi Yu XI. GENERAL DISCUSSION: CHILDREN'S ADJUSTMENT AND ADAPTATION FOLLOWING THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING 142 Brenda L.Volling REFERENCES 159 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 183 COMMENTARY PREDICTING NORMATIVE AND PROBLEMATIC FAMILY PATHWAYS TO THE TRANSITION TO SIBLINGHOOD: COMMENTARY ON VOLLING ET AL.'S MONOGRAPH 184 Nina Howe CONTRIBUTORS 196 STATEMENT OF EDITORIAL POLICY 199 SUBJECT INDEX 201