The Effect of First-Born Children’s Emotionality on Positive Behavior toward Younger Siblings in Two-Child Chinese Families: The Moderating Effect of Democratic Maternal Parenting Style

This study is intended to clarify the relationship between Chinese first-born children’s emotionality and their positive behavior toward their younger siblings. It also examines how a democratic maternal parenting style regulates the intimate relationship between first-born children’s emotionality and their positive behavior toward their younger siblings. This study investigated 303 Chinese mothers of children between the ages of four and eight. The data collected were analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 program, including descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical regression analyses. The results of the study are as follows. First, first-born children’s emotionality has a significant impact on their positive behavior toward younger siblings. Second, mothers’ democratic parenting style has a significantly moderating effect on the relationship between the first-born children’s emotionality and their positive behavior toward younger siblings. Specifically, higher levels of maternal democratic parenting strengthened the negative association between children’s emotionality and their positive behavior toward younger siblings. This study highlights the importance of the first-born child’s emotionality and mothers’ democratic parenting style to the positive behavior of Chinese first-born children toward their younger siblings.