二胎进行时:头胎儿童在向同胞关系过渡时的生理和心理变化及其影响因素

And baby makes four: Biological and psychological changes and influential factors of firstborn's adjustment to transition to siblinghood

近年来,有关头胎儿童在面对母亲生第二胎时出现各种问题的新闻报道屡见不鲜。那么,是不是儿童在面对母亲生二胎时,都会出现如此消极的反应?会不会出现积极的反应呢?如果存在个体差异的话,那么面对第二胎的降临,哪些儿童更容易出现消极或者积极的变化?另外,是否有保护因素让头胎儿童更好地应对弟妹出生?是否有风险因素导致头胎儿童出现消极的结果?本项目拟开展3项子研究来回答上述这些问题。研究1分析在第二胎降临前后,头胎儿童的生理和心理变化轨迹;研究2分析调节头胎儿童生理和心理变化的个人因素(例如,气质和共情);研究3分析调节头胎儿童生理和心理变化的家庭层面的因素(例如,亲子关系与父母婚姻)。所获结果将为当前以及未来二孩家庭心理健康教育和咨询提供实证依据,具有重要的应用价值。

In the past few years, the news that reported the negative aspects of the two-children families have not been rare. Particularly, news has been frequently reported that firstborn children have difficulties in adapting the newborn＇s birth and parents have difficulties in coping with the firstborn children＇s adaptation. Do all firstborn children have negative reactions in response to the newborn＇s birth？ Do they have positive reactions also？ In addition, no matter whether they have negative or positive reactions, who will be more likely to have such kind of reactions after the arrival of a second child？ Furthermore, are there any protective factors which may promote firstborn＇s adjustment and risk factors which may lead to difficulties in adjustment？ To answer the questions above, this project includes three studies. The first study examines the biological and psychological change trajectories over time in how the firstborn sibling may cope with the transition to siblinghood. The second study will analyze how the potential individual factors （e.g., temperament and empathy） influence such changes. And the third study will examine how the potential family factors （e.g., parent-child attachment, and marital quality） influence such changes. The results of the project may have practical implications for the mental health education and counselling for families with two children.