A woman comforting her child.
Birth order can play a significant role in determining one’s personality and level of success in life. Studies show that firstborns are better suited for leadership roles as they age. Middle children tend to be the best-behaved, and the youngest child in a family is often the most social.
Those are all positive traits associated with birth order. However, a new Epic Research study has found a dark side to being the firstborn child in a family. They are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.
The research team looked at the medical records of over 180,000 children and found that by the age of 8, firstborn children were 48% more likely to have anxiety and 35% more likely to have depression than the younger children in their families.
The study also found that only children were 35% more likely to have depression and 42% more likely to have anxiety by the age of 8 than children who were born second or later.
The study comes 2 years after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that all children be screened for anxiety starting at the age of 8, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or not. “For older children and teens, screening and follow-up care can reduce symptoms of depression and can improve, and potentially resolve anxiety,” the statement reads. “However, there is very limited evidence on the benefits and harms of screening children younger than 8 for anxiety and younger than 12 for depression.”
A child with anxiety.via Canva/Photos
Children with anxiety often have trouble sleeping or developing a consistent sleep pattern. They may also be clingy and express excessive anger and irritability. Anxiety may also manifest in physical symptoms such as stomach pains or headaches.
Children with depression may have continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness. They may also be prone to outbursts of crying, feelings of worthlessness or guilt and impaired concentration.
The Epic Research study didn’t provide a reason why firstborn and only children are more likely to have anxiety and depression. However, Milly Cox, a biological anthropologist at UCLA, said it could be caused by inexperienced parents who aren’t as exposed to child-rearing as older generations. “In the pre-industrial context, the context present for the majority of human history, you would be exposed to parenting and kids your whole life. You would be more involved in caring for your younger siblings,” Fox told The Huffington Post.
The differences in mental health between firstborn and subsequent children may also be caused by different conditions in the mother’s womb. Firstborn children often have other health challenges than their siblings due to the differences in uterine environments.
Even though firstborn children are more likely to have anxiety and depression than their siblings, it’s still essential for children to be screened for anxiety and depression regardless of their birth order.
“Anxiety and depression don’t have a single cause, so understanding what factors are likely to impact a child can help both parents and clinicians to make sure that they are helping the child with their specific needs,” Caleb Cox, head of research and data science at Epic Research, told The Huffington Post. He added that there are plenty of cases where second- or third-born children have anxiety and depression as well, “so it’s important for parents to make sure their kids are getting the help that they need, regardless of the child’s birth order.”
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."