Relationship with siblings

The relationship between the child and their sibling(s) is another central aspect of

their early life environment. As with the section relating to the child’s relationship

with their parents, the child’s development during the time since the previous wave

makes it more prudent to adopt measures previously used for Cohort 08 at age 3

than continuing topics from Cohort 24 at 9 months.

The main sub-topics/measures that could be continued from Cohort 08 at age 3 are

(a) whether the study child has siblings and how many and (b) how the study child

gets on with their sibling(s). Re-using these items offers cross-cohort comparisons

and the potential for longitudinal consistency. Additionally, these items allow within-

cohort comparisons to analyse how having or not having siblings affects other

aspects of the study child’s development.

Recommendations for Cohort 24 at age 3:

•Repeat individual items on having siblings and getting on with siblings from Cohort 08 at age 3.

Socio-emotional development and well-being