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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–4Cite as

Higher Survival with Older Siblings

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Synonyms

Alloparents; Helpers at the nest

Definition

Examination of cultural provisions of childcare suggests that the presence of female alloparents including maternal relatives, friends, and older siblings result in higher survival rates.

Introduction

In comparison to animals, newly born human babies are entirely dependent on their caregivers and need sensitive care and attention to survive. In most cultures, the necessary care and attention are provided by mothers and perhaps that is why, when a mother dies, the probability of infant surviving becomes slim, unless the caregiver is replaced by another sensitive human being (Brittain 1992). The positive correlation between maternal and infant mortality is quite evident in Scandinavian countries with the lowest maternal and infant mortality rates and African countries with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates (World Bank 2018). Citizens of countries with very high maternal and infant mortality rates face the biggest...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA

    Mamta Saxena

  2. State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA

    Rebecca L. Burch

Authors
  1. Mamta Saxena
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  2. Rebecca L. Burch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mamta Saxena .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Oklamoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Jaimie Arona Krems

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Saxena, M., Burch, R.L. (2020). Higher Survival with Older Siblings. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1164-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1164-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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