The Significance of Siblings throughout Life

Abstract

As the field of mental health matures, a consistent stream of cross-sectional and longitudinal research emanating from developmental and clinical psychology has highlighted distinct correlates between early life experiences and adult functioning. From as early as prenatal development and onward, numerous aspects of an individual’s surroundings provide ingredients that coalesce with biological determinants to produce epigenesis. A long list of significant lifelong human features including physical health, food choices, intelligence, occupational status, political ideology, spirituality, sociability, and psychological well-being has been suggested to be influenced by early childhood environment.