Kin and birth order effects on male child mortality: three East Asian populations, 1716-1945

Close and more distant relatives are associated with child mortality risk in historical Finland

Humans are characterised as cooperative breeders, as not only the parents but also other members of the social group take part in raising offspring. The individuals who invest most in childrearing are usually the more closely related individuals. However, most studies have concentrated on close kin and the effects of more distant kin remain unknown. Here, we investigated the associations of child mortality (<5 years, n = 32,000 children) with the presence of 36 different types of relatives, divided by lineage and sex, in a historical Finnish population. We found that the presence and greater number of several paternal relatives were associated with an increase in child mortality and many of these associations were seen among the wealthiest families, due to inheritance practices and shared resources. The presence of the maternal grandmother was associated with a decrease in child mortality and the most among poorer families, who probably needed the grandmother's contribution more than the wealthy. Our results bring new insights into the importance of kin and suggest that relatives can provide support or other resources but also compete for limited resources and care. The results give a broader perspective of human family life and increase understanding of the evolution of cooperative breeding.

Investment by maternal grandmother buffers children against the impacts of adverse early life experiences

Exogenous shocks during sensitive periods of development can have long-lasting effects on adult phenotypes including behavior, survival and reproduction. Cooperative breeding, such as grandparental care in humans and some other mammal species, is believed to have evolved partly in order to cope with challenging environments. Nevertheless, studies addressing whether grandparental investment can buffer the development of grandchildren from multiple adversities early in life are few and have provided mixed results, perhaps owing to difficulties drawing causal inferences from non-experimental data. Using population-based data of English and Welsh adolescents (sample size ranging from 817 to 1197), we examined whether grandparental investment reduces emotional and behavioral problems in children resulting from facing multiple adverse early life experiences (AELEs), by employing instrumental variable regression in a Bayesian structural equation modeling framework to better justify causal interpretations of the results. When children had faced multiple AELEs, the investment of maternal grandmothers reduced, but could not fully erase, their emotional and behavioral problems. No such result was observed in the case of the investment of other grandparent types. These findings indicate that in adverse environmental conditions the investment of maternal grandmothers can improve child wellbeing.

Do maternal grandmothers influence breastfeeding duration and infant nutrition? Evidence from Merida, Mexico

OBJECTIVES

Breast-feeding is sensitive to somatic, hormonal, behavioral and psychological components of maternal capital. However, through grandmothering, older women may also influence breast-feeding by transferring informational resources to their daughters. We hypothesized that mothers with prolonged instrumental support from their own mother are more likely to have received advice and to have favorable attitudes/practices regarding breastfeeding, compared to those lacking such support, with implications for the grandchild's somatic capital.

METHODS

We recruited 90 mother-infant dyads (52 with grandmaternal support, 38 without) in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. All children were first-borns, aged ~2 years. Anthropometry and body composition were assessed. Data on grandmother's breastfeeding advice and maternal breastfeeding duration were obtained by questionnaire. Maternal attitudes to breast-feeding were assessed using the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale.

RESULTS

Women with instrumental support were more likely to have received grandmaternal advice during pregnancy/infancy on exclusive breast-feeding duration (60% vs. 37%, p = 0.033) and the type of first complementary food (81% vs. 47%, p = 0.001). However, women with support had a less favorable attitude to breastfeeding than those without and breastfed their children for less time (median 5 vs. 10.5 months, p = 0.01). No group differences were found in children's length, weight, skinfolds or lean mass z-score.

DISCUSSION

Although grandmothers providing instrumental support provided advice regarding breastfeeding, their attitudes may reflect issues beyond nutritional health. Advice of maternal grandmothers did not promote extended breastfeeding, however the differences in breastfeeding attitudes were not associated with the children's nutritional status. Grandmothers should be included in public health interventions promoting breastfeeding.

Association of breast feeding and birth interval with child mortality in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study using nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey data

OBJECTIVES

This study analysed the association between breast feeding (BF) and birth interval (BI) (both succeeding and preceding) with neonatal mortality (NM), infant mortality (IM) and under-5 mortality (U5M).

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study used data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018.

SETTINGS

All provinces, Islamabad and Federally Administered Tribal Areas were included in the analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 12 769 children born to ever-married multiparous women aged 30-49 years who gave live birth within 5 years preceding the interview. Multiple births are not included.

DATA ANALYSIS

Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used.

RESULTS

We found that BF was associated with nearly 98% lower risk of NM (OR 0.015; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.03; p<0.001), 96% lower risk of IM (OR 0.038; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.06; p<0.001) and 94% lower risk of U5M (OR 0.050; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.08; p<0.001). Compared with optimal preceding birth interval (PBI) (36+ months), short PBI (<18 months) was associated with around six times higher risk of NM (OR 5.661; 95% CI: 2.78 to 11.53; p<0.001), over five times risk of IM (OR 4.704; 95% CI: 2.70 to 8.19; p<0.001) and over five times risk of U5M (OR 4.745; 95% CI: 2.79 to 8.07; p<0.001). Disaggregating the data by child's gender, place of residence and mother's occupational status showed that being ever breast fed was associated with a smaller risk of NM, IM and U5M in all three disaggregations. However, the risk of smaller PBI <18 months was generally more pronounced in female children (NM and U5M) or when the children lived in rural areas (NM, IM and U5M). PBI <18 months was associated with greater risk of NM and IM, and smaller risk of U5M when mothers did a paid job.

CONCLUSION

This study's significance lies in the fact that it has found BF and BI to be consistent protective factors against NM, IM and U5M. Given Pakistan's economic constraints, optimal BF and BI are the most cost-effective interventions to reduce child mortality.

The Influence of Kin Proximity on the Reproductive Success of American Couples, 1900-1910

Children require a large amount of time, effort, and resources to raise. Physical help, financial contributions, medical care, and other types of assistance from kin and social network members allow couples to space births closer together while maintaining or increasing child survival. We examine the impact of kin availability on couples' reproductive success in the early twentieth-century United States with a panel data set of over 3.1 million couples linked between the 1900 and 1910 U.S. censuses. Our results indicate that kin proximity outside the household was positively associated with fertility, child survival, and net reproduction, and suggest that declining kin availability was an important contributing factor to the fertility transition in the United States. We also find important differences between maternal and paternal kin inside the household-including higher fertility among women residing with their mother-in-law than among those residing with their mother-that support hypotheses related to the contrasting motivations and concerns of parents and parents-in-law.

Psycho-social factors associated with high depressive symptomatology in female adolescents and gender difference in adolescent depression: an epidemiological survey in China's Hubei Province

BACKGROUND

Exploring etiological clues to adolescent depression, especially in female adolescents, might be helpful to improve the social environment of female adolescents. The aim at this study is to explore psycho-social factors of female adolescents with high depressive symptomatology and gender differences in depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents.

METHOD

We examined 4100 adolescents from Wuhan city and Jianli county via a cross-sectional study. Depressive symptomatology was screened through the Chinese version of Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the factors related to high depressive symptomatology in female and male adolescents, respectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of high depressive symptomatology in female and male were 38.9 and 30.2% respectively. The psycho-social factors of high depressive symptomatology in female adolescents were age (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.201, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.076 ~ 1.341), single parent family (aOR = 2.004, 95%CI, 1.448 ~ 2.772) and fathers' education level (compared to primary school and below, [Junior middle school, aOR = 0.641, 95%CI, 0.439 ~ 0.934; Senior middle school, aOR = 0.603, 95%CI, 0.410 ~ 0.888; College degree and above, aOR = 0.639, 95%CI, 0.437 ~ 0.936]).

CONCLUSION

Fathers' education level was associated with high depressive symptomatology in female adolescents. Female adolescents whose father with primary school education or below deserves more attention. Further epidemiologic researches need to be conducted to explore the different risk factors between female and male adolescents in China.

How do grandparents influence child health and development? A systematic review

Grandparents are often a key source of care provision for their grandchildren, yet they are sidelined in caregiving research and policy decisions. We conducted a global, systematic review of the literature to examine the scope and quality of studies to date (PROSPERO database CRD42019133894). We screened 12,699 abstracts across 7 databases, and identified 206 studies that examined how grandparents influence child health and development. Indicators of grandparent involvement were contact, caregiving behaviors, and financial support. Our review focused on two research questions: how do grandparents influence child health and development outcomes, and what range of child outcomes is reported globally? We examined study design, sample characteristics, key findings, and outcomes pertaining to grandchildren's physical health, socio-emotional and behavioral health, and cognitive and educational development.  Our search captured studies featuring grandparent custodial care (n = 35), multigenerational care (n = 154), and both types of care (n = 17). We found substantial heterogeneity in the data provided on co-residence, caregiving roles, resources invested, outcomes, and mechanisms through which "grandparent effects" are manifested. We identified two important issues, related to operationalizing indicators of grandparent involvement and conceptualizing potential mechanisms, leading to gaps in the evidence base. Currently, our understanding of the pathways through which grandparents exert their influence is constrained by limited data on what grandparents actually do and insufficient attention given to interpersonal and structural contexts. We present a conceptual framework to explicitly measure and theorize pathways of care, with a view to inform research design and policy implementation. We underscore the need for more robust data on three indicators of caregiver involvement-contact, behavior, and support-and for careful description of structural and interpersonal contexts in caregiving research.

Genealogical Microdata and Their Significance for Social Science

Despite long-standing recognition of the importance of family background in shaping life outcomes, only recently have empirical studies in demography, stratification, and other areas begun to consider the influence of kin other than parents. These new studies reflect the increasing availability of genealogical microdata that provide information about ancestors and kin over three or more generations. These data sets, including family genealogies, linked vital registration records, population registers, longitudinal surveys, and other sources, are valuable resources for social research on family, population, and stratification in a multigenerational perspective. This article reviews relevant recent studies, introduces and presents examples of the most important sources of genealogical microdata, identifies key methodological issues in the construction and analysis of genealogical data, and suggests directions for future research.

Intergenerational relations and child development in England

Evolutionary studies have shown that in many traditional populations the beneficial effects of grandparental presence for grandchildren may vary according to the sex and lineage of the grandparents, as well as by the sex of the grandchild. However, few studies have investigated the relevance of these factors in modern developed societies. The present investigation uses the Millennium Cohort Study (n = 4,636 children) to analyse the association between grandparental investment and child development in contemporary England. Grandparental investment is measured by parent-grandparent contact frequencies at the child’s age of 3 and child development by “early learning goals” over the first year of primary school assessed with the Foundation Stage Profile (FSP). Children whose mothers reported contacts with maternal grandparents receive higher FSP scores compared to those with no contact at all. In addition, children whose fathers reported daily contacts with paternal grandfathers have lower FSP scores than other children. The study provides evidence of the relevance of grandparental investment on grandchild development also in developed societies. The results are discussed with reference to the grandmother hypothesis, sex-specific reproductive strategies and sex chromosome hypothesis.

Intra-demographic birth risk assessment scheme and infant mortality in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Infant mortality (IM) is high in Nigeria. High-risk birth can limit a newborn's survival chances to the first year of life. The approach used in investigating the relationship between high-risk birth and IM in this study is yet to be documented in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES

The Intra-Demographic Birth Risk Assessment Scheme (IDBRAS) was generated and its relationship with IM was examined.

METHODS

2013 Nigeria demographic and health survey data were used. Mothers who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey were investigated (n = 31,155). IDBRAS was generated from information on maternal age at childbirth, parity and preceding birth interval and was disaggregated into low, medium and high. Data were analysed using the Cox proportional hazard and Brass 1-parameter models (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Infant mortality rate was 88.4, 104.7 and 211.6 per 1000 live births among women with low, medium and high level of IDBRAS respectively. The rate of increase of reported infant deaths between low and high IDBRAS was 0.1932 (R2 = 0.5326; p < 0.001). The prevalence of medium- and high-risk birth was 24.6 and 4.2% respectively. The identified predictors of IM were place of residence, marital status and size of the child at birth. The hazard ratio of IM was higher among women with medium (HR = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.22-1.48, p < 0.001) and high IDBRAS (HR = 1.73; 95% CI = 1.48-2.02, p < 0.001) than among those with low IDBRAS. Controlling for other correlates barely changed this pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk and level of IM increased as the level of IDBRAS increases in Nigeria. IDBRAS was an important predictor of IM. Maintaining a low level of IDBRAS will facilitate a reduction in IM rate in Nigeria.