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Spillover effects of gestational age on sibling's literacy

David C Mallinson1, Felix Elwert2,3,4,5, Deborah B Ehrenthal6,7

  • 1Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.

Early Child Development and Care
|March 4, 2024
PubMed

Insights

A younger sibling's improved gestational age positively impacts older siblings' early literacy skills. This study highlights the interconnectedness of child development within families, showing how one child's health affects another's learning.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Adverse family health events negatively influence child development, particularly early literacy.
  • Sibling relationships represent a key family dynamic influencing child outcomes.
  • Understanding intra-family health spillovers is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of younger siblings' gestational age on older siblings' kindergarten literacy.
  • To quantify the spillover effect of early-life health on sibling development.
  • To explore potential moderating factors in this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized longitudinal data from a Wisconsin birth cohort (20,014 sibling pairs).
  • Analyzed Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-Kindergarten (PALS-K) test scores.
  • Employed gain-score regression (fixed effects) to estimate spillover effects of gestational age, preterm birth, and very preterm birth.

Main Results:

  • A one-week increase in younger sibling's gestational age correlated with a 0.011 SD improvement in older sibling's literacy scores.
  • The positive spillover effect was more pronounced when mothers had a high school diploma/equivalent only (0.024 SD increase).
  • Gestational age and birth outcomes of one sibling demonstrably affect their older sibling's early literacy.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life health conditions exhibit networked effects within families, impacting sibling development.
  • Interventions promoting optimal gestational age may yield broader family benefits, including improved literacy.
  • This research underscores the importance of considering the family unit in child development studies.

Keywords:
Gestational ageliteracysiblingsspillover effects

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