Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Power: Do Family Size and Ordinal Position of the Child Make a Difference?

Abstract

The literature suggests that parent-child interactions differ in relation to both birth order and family size. There are arguments in the literature concerning whether observed effects should be attributed to structural factors or to such demographic variables as SES and parental education. The present research attempts to deal with some of the theoretical questions and methodological problems encountered in determining mediators of birth order and parental interaction effects. Reports of parental involvement, or indices of such involvement, in 34 interaction areas were collected from 189 Iranian high school students from families of at least 2 children, and were analyzed using multiple regression procedures. In general. results showed birth order effects were mediated by size of family. Respondents from ‘small’ families (of 2–4 children) differed from those from larger families. In large families. first-borns had the most paternal (or the least maternal) orientations. In small families, last-borns had the most paternal (least maternal) orientations. Middle-borns were not significantly different from the first-borns in small or in large families. It is concluded that further cross-cultural studies of differential parental interaction with different birth orders are needed before a theoretical framework can be offered to explain birth order effects.