There are people around you who say that their personality traits are determined according to the order in which the children are born. Because many people think that the first child is more leader-spirited and the youngest child is spoiled. Scientists have now addressed this issue. Researchers from the University of MIT, Florida University and Northwest University in the USA determined in a study they conducted in 2017 that the second child – especially if he was a boy – was more likely to experience behavioral problems than his older brother. Chief author of the article, whose study results were announced, Joseph Doyle and his team met with thousands of families in Florida and Denmark. The interview with the families made it possible to determine that the second children did not only challenge their parents in early childhood, but also had problems with the school and the law. Researchers say that second-born children experience more problems with the law by 20 to 40 percent compared to the first-born child compared to siblings. Experts think this is due to differences in parental interest. The article, in which the results of the research are published, states that the second children encounter less maternal interest than their older siblings. While mothers use maternity leaves at first birth, they return to work life more quickly after the second birth. The study shows that the reason for the second child having problems may be problems in the role model. The role model of the first child is their parents. The second child’s role model is more problematic because the role model is his older brother or older sister. This study does not make a definitive diagnosis for second children, and it is underlined that the situation may vary from family to family. By planning more and more one-to-one times with their children, parents can make the little child stand out as much as the older child, and they may not encounter problems by paying equal time to children.
