【每日电讯报】First-born children 'pressurised more to succeed at school'

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First-born children 'pressurised more to succeed at school'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/5673635/First-born-children-pressurised-more-to-succeed-at-school.html

By Graeme Paton Published: 7:00AM BST 29 Jun 2009

First-born children face twice as much pressure to succeed at school than younger brothers and sisters, according to research.

High parental expectations come at a cost, with many mothers saying they believe their oldest child will be the most susceptible to anxiety or depression later in life.

A survey published on Monday of almost 10,000 mothers by parenting website Netmums.com found more than a third thought their first child would succeed most academically. This compared with just six per cent who pushed their middle child and 15 per cent their youngest child.

Tanya Byron, the psychologist and Government advisor, said: "This new research confirms the possible existence of what could be called eldest child syndrome in some families.

"It seems that there could be a tendency for parents to invest more time and energy in their eldest child, in part because as this survey shows parents tend to see more of themselves in their first child and therefore project their own aspirations on to them.

"Evidence shows this can have beneficial effects on intelligence levels but the downside of this extra attention is that they may not develop the happy-go-lucky attitude that their younger siblings - who may be raised in a more relaxed way - often enjoy."

The pressure put on oldest children means that almost half of mothers believed their first-born would be the most likely to suffer from anxiety, or depression, compared to just six per cent who named their youngest child, the study said.

Almost four in ten mothers said they identified most with their oldest child, while just seven per cent said their middle child, and six per cent their youngest child.

The survey concluded: "This could explain why they have higher expectations for that child and perhaps therefore why they feel justified in putting extra pressure on that child to succeed. Is there an element of parents projecting their own aspirations onto their eldest child?"

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