top of page

When Parents Choose: The Influence of Favoritism on Sibling Development


This comprehensive meta-analysis revealed that parents tend to provide more favorable treatment to daughters, conscientious children, and those with a pleasant personality. In addition, it is common for older siblings to receive greater freedom and autonomy. Both parents and health professionals should be aware of these dynamics of favoritism within the family, as recognizing these patterns can be crucial to identifying possible detrimental effects on the development of disadvantaged children.


Family coexistence plays a crucial role in children’s neurodevelopment, influencing the formation of social, emotional, and cognitive skills.


The family environment is the first context in which a child learns to interact with the world, and the quality of these interactions can have significant implications for brain development.


Studies indicate that positive experiences, such as emotional support and intellectual stimulation, promote healthy brain growth. Conversely, negative experiences, such as neglect or favoritism, can contribute to the emergence of future disorders, including anxiety problems, depression, and relationship difficulties.

Parental favoritism, where one or more children receive preferential treatment over others, is a phenomenon that can have adverse consequences for the development of disadvantaged children.


Decades of research have shown that these children can experience feelings of rejection, low self-esteem, and an increased risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems.


Despite widespread recognition of these effects, there is less clarity about what factors determine which children are favored or disfavored by their parents.


This study, conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University, USA, and Western University, Canada, explored favoritism in families, examining how factors such as birth order, gender, temperament, and personality influence parental favoritism.

Data were collected through a multilevel meta-analysis of 30 peer-reviewed academic articles, as well as 14 additional databases, totaling information from 19,469 unique participants.


The current study examined favored treatment as predicted by birth order, gender, temperament, and personality. They also examined whether the links were moderated by multiple factors (e.g., parental gender, age, parenting style, parenting domain/favoritism).


The results showed clear patterns: parents tend to favor older children when favoritism is related to autonomy and control.


In terms of gender, daughters often receive preferential treatment, which may manifest as greater attention or emotional support.


In addition, the study revealed that children with conscientiousness and agreeableness traits, those who are organized, responsible, and friendly, also tend to be favored by their parents.

In the case of conscientious children, favoritism was more evident in contexts of reduced family conflict, suggesting that these children face fewer disputes with their parents, possibly due to their more cooperative behavior.


These findings have important implications for parents and health professionals. Recognizing patterns of favoritism can help mitigate potential negative effects on the development of disadvantaged children.


Interventions can be designed to promote a more equitable and healthy environment within families, preventing parental favoritism from contributing to developmental inequalities and possible emotional disorders.


Thus, by understanding and addressing these dynamics, it is possible to foster the emotional and psychological well-being of all children in the family environment.



READ MORE:


Parents favor daughters: A meta-analysis of gender and other predictors of parental differential 

treatment. 

Jensen AC, and Jorgensen-Wells MA 

American Psychological Association. Psychological Bulletin. Advance online publication 2025. 


Abstract:


Decades of research highlight that differential treatment can have negative developmental consequences, particularly for less favored siblings. Despite this robust body of research, less is known about which children in the family tend to be favored or less favored by parents. The present study examined favored treatment as predicted by birth order, gender, temperament, and personality. We also examined whether links were moderated by multiple factors (i.e., parent gender, age, reporter, domain of parenting/favoritism). Multilevel meta-analysis data were collected from 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and dissertations/theses and 14 other databases. In all, the data reflected 19,469 unique participants (Mage = 19.57, SD = 13.92). Results showed that when favoritism was based on autonomy and control, parents tended to favor older siblings. Further, parents reported favoring daughters. Conscientious and agreeable children also received more favored treatment. For conscientious children, favoritism was strongest when based on differences in conflict (i.e., more conscientious children had relatively less conflict with their parents). Parents and clinicians should be aware of which children in a family tend to be favored as a way of recognizing potentially damaging family patterns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)

Comentários


© 2024 by Lidiane Garcia

bottom of page