The Impact Of Parental Emotional Neglect On Risk-taking Behavior Tendencies In Older First Born Children:The Mediating Role Of Life History Strategies

With the gradual implementation of a comprehensive population policy,more first-born children will become older siblings at a relatively older age.The arrival of siblings will cause parents to shift more attention to their younger siblings and allocate more material and emotional input to them,resulting in a lack of communication and emotional interaction with first-born children and a degree of emotional neglect,which can cause them to feel that the environment in which they live has changed dramatically compared to the previous one and that this change is detrimental to them.According to life history theory,individuals develop different life history strategies when their environment changes,and these strategies in turn exhibit behavioral responses to adapt to the changes in their environment,and it has been suggested that when individuals are placed in adverse situations they develop fast life history strategies,and that individuals with such strategies may display negative behavior.This study therefore examines the current situation of older first-born children who are emotionally neglected by their parents and how emotional neglect affects their life history strategies and risk-taking behavior tendency.In Study 1,a questionnaire survey was conducted among 575 first-born children(307 older first born children and 268 non older first born children)in the fifth and sixth grades of primary school using the Emotional Neglect Assessment Scale for Primary School Students Aged 9-11(Grades 4-6)in Chinese cities to explore the current situation of emotional neglect among older first-born children compared to non-older first-born children.The results showed that older first born children were more susceptible to emotional neglect from their parents and suffered a higher degree of emotional neglect than non-older first born children.The second study screened 71 older first-born children who were neglected by their parents according to the results of the first study,and explored the impact of parental emotional neglect on life history strategies and risk-taking behavior tendency of older first born children.In study a,71 older first-born children with emotional neglect were tested with self-made environmental priming materials and corresponding delayed gratification tasks to explore the characteristics of life history strategy selection of older first-born children with emotional neglect by their parents.The results showed that older first-born children with emotional neglect by their parents tended to choose fast life history strategy.In study b,the intermediary role of life history strategy between parents’ emotional neglect and the risk behavior tendency of older first-born children was further explored.The risk behavior tendency of older first-born children with emotional neglect was measured by using the self-made risk situation story questionnaire.The results showed that the fast life history strategy played an intermediary role between parents’ emotional neglect and the risk behavior tendency of older first-born children.This study can draw the following conclusions:(1)Compared with non-older first-born children,older first-born children are more likely to be ignored by their parents’ emotions,and the degree of emotional neglect is also higher.(2)Older first-born children who have experienced emotional neglect from their parents tend to choose a fast life history strategy,and this strategy fully mediates the relationship between parental emotional neglect and a tendency towards risky behavior.