Recently,aten-year-oldgirlwhohadpreviouslybeenlivelyandoutstandingatschoolstartedcomplainingaboutheadachesandlostappetiteandbecamewithdrawn鈥揳fterhermothergavebirthtoason.Thedoctordiagnosedherwithsiblingrivalrydisorder.
Siblingrivalrydisorderisapsychologicalissueaffectingthefirstchildwhenayoungerbrotherorsisterisborn.Theparticularsandseverityvarywidely.Symptomsinmostchildrenaremildanddisappearquickly.However,persistentandseverecasescancausepsychiatricissuessuchasanxietyanddepression,affectingchildren鈥檚socialbehavior.
ResearchersfromColumbiaUniversitybelievethatcompetinginterestsbetweenthefirstchildandthesecondexistinanysociety.Thebirthofthesecondchildcanexerttraumaticpressuretothefirstchildandinspirestrongfeelingsofjealousy.
PsychologicalBulletin,afa-mousacademicjournalonpsychology,onceresearched440firstchildrenforuptosixyears.Accordingtothedata,aftergivingbirthtoasecondchild,themotherspendslesstimewiththefirstchildandmoretimetendingthenewbaby.Thishurtsthefirstchild鈥檚situation:Bothincomeandattentionfromtheparentsdecrease.Thefirstchildcaneasilyperceivethechange.
Someonemustaddresstheproblem,andithastobeparents.ApaperpublishedbyPsychologicalBulletinin2012indicatedthatthebehaviorofthefirstchildduringtheperiodwhenanewbabyisbornisinfluencedbyhisorherenvironment,amongwhichthemoodofthemotherisparamount.Thefather鈥檚roleisimportanttoo.Whenanewbabyhasbeenborn,justthetaskofbreast-feedingtakesalotofthemother鈥檚time,duringwhichtimethefatherhasmoreopportunitiestocommunicatewiththefirstchild.Agentleandconsideratefatherismorecapableofhelpingthefirstchildcopewiththestressfulsituation.
Expertssuggestthatparentswhoplanonhavingasecondchilddon鈥檛overestimatethefirst鈥檚stability.Theyshouldpayspecialattentiontothefirstchild鈥檚mentalhealth,maintainclosecommunicationwithhimorher,andletthechildparticipateintheplanonhavinganotherbaby.XuZixinandherbrother.PhototakeninQuzhouCity,ZhejiangProvince,onOctober28,2015.Aftertheselectivetwo-childpolicywasimplemented,manyparentshadasecondbaby.However,thefirstchild鈥檚psychologicalresistancetothesecondhasbecomeanewprobleminneedofattention.