Birth Order and Sibship Size Contributions to Delinquency

Kimberly Lopez

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Liberal Arts

Major: MA.FORENSIC-PSY

Faculty Research Mentor: Doyle, Christine  

Abstract:

AbstractBirth order indicates the position a child holds within their family determined by the sequence in which they are born: first, a middle, or last. Siblingship size (sibship size) indicates the number of siblings within a family unit. Birth rate fluctuates constantly due to a number of social and economic factors, which raises the question of whether there is an ideal number of children within a family unit. Considering external resources, parental factors, and family dynamics, the aim of this study is to decipher up to how many children is essentially “ideal” before the sibship size begins to negatively impact the children, as well as determine which birth order is negatively affected the most. This study will be completed through a Qualtrics survey which will calculate the level of frequent involvement in delinquent behaviors through both elementary and teenage years based off their birth order and sibship size. The anticipated results will display a significant increase in delinquency amongst the youngest sibling within sibship sizes of 4 or more siblings.keywords: birth order, sibship size, children, siblings, parents, delinquency