Original Article

Relationship between birth order, personality and

academic performance
Rana Mozammil Shamsher Khan, Kalsoom Nawaz, Rana Modassir Shamsher Khan,
Sehr Yaseen, Anum Rouf, Madawa Maryam, Saba Tabassum
Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical
College, Sialkot and Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot and Department
of orthodontics, Islam Dental College, Sialkot, Pakistan
Objective: To assess the relationship of birth was 21.13+0.89 years (range 20 to 22). 104
order, personality factors and academic (70.7%) belonged to middle income families.
performance. There was no statistically significant difference
Methodology: This cross sectional study was across the birth order in personality factor of
carried out at KMS medical college, Sialkot, openness (F=1.01) conscientiousness (F=2.12)
Pakistan during the month of February 2017. It extraversion (F=1.13) agreeableness (F=.67)
included 148 eligible consenting 3rd and 4th year neuroticism (F=2.19) and academic performance
medical students who were firstborn, middle, last (F=1.042). Conscientiousness was positively
and only born; 37 from each category were while extraversion was negatively correlated with
included. Students with past or family history of academic performance. Rest of the 3 personality
psychiatric illness, using psychotropic medicine, factors had no significant correlation with
severe physical and psychiatric illness were academic performance.
excluded. Big Five Inventory-10 was Conclusion: Birth order had no relationship with
administered, which has personality factors personality factors and academic performance. Of
namely openness, conscientiousness, the big five personality factors, conscientiousness
extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. had significant positive correlation with academic
Academic performance was assessed by their performance while extraversion had negative
annual university examination results. Statistical correlation. (Rawal Med J 201;43:39-44).
analysis was done by SPSS v 21. Key words: Birth order, big five, personality,
Results: Out of 148 students, 53 (35.8%) were academic performance.
male while 95 (64.2%) were female. Mean age

INTRODUCTION When next child arrives in the family, he may be

Birth order has been of interest to general public, dethroned from the privilege. Score of neuroticism
2
folklore, and researchers for long time. The way a is high in them. They may conform to the roles of
person behaves, interacts and achieves has been their parents and become leaders. They have high
3
linked to order in which he was born. Galton ambitions and achieve more. To fulfill their role
probably was the first researcher who looked at this they perform well in academics and show more
in 1874. He noted in a sample of English scientists at responsibility in behavior.4 Middle child may not
that time that there was majority of them first born. get the same extra attention in the family and make
He inferred that the first born or eldest child repeated attempts to do better than their older and
received more attention from their parents and younger siblings.5 The children who are youngest
1
achieved better in academics. are usually pampered more. This may also be the
Alfred Adler in1928 was also interested in birth case with only child. But sometimes they are aware
order. His theory of birth order attracted much of their different position in the sib-ship so they
attention. He thought that children who are born might make extra effort to get attention.4 Research
first are privileged in the family. With privilege on birth-order and being intelligent yielded
comes responsibility. They may feel burdened. convincingly that performance of children in birth

39 Rawal Medical Journal: Vol. 43. No. 1, Jan.-Mar. 2018

 Relationship between birth order, personality and academic performance

order declines from first to later child on tests of were students suffering from severe physical or
5
intelligence. The effect is small but has been psychiatric illness at the time assessment. Students
repeated in several studies.6 Its causes have also with past history of psychiatric illness, family
been investigated in detail.7 A vast body of research history of psychiatric illness or who were using any
has been carried out on the issue of birth order and current psychotropic medicine were excluded from
its effects on personality but findings are the study.
inconsistent.8 There were a total of 209 students, 106 from 3rd year
th
Family Niche is another theory put forward by and 103 from 4 year. The students were divided into
Sulloway.9 It is linked to the Big Five Theory of 4 categories first born, middle born, last born and
personality dimension.10 Sulloway describes that only child born. Of the 4 categories, only child born
children in a family want to get attention of their was least in number. There were 41students in only
rd
parents. Eldest or first born gets that attention and is child category, 22 from 3 year and 19 from fourth
usually less agreeable than the later born. Later born year. One student was using psychotropic medicine
become more agreeable to get the attention of their and 3 had family history of psychiatric illness. They
parents and are dominated by the first born. First were excluded. In the final sample 37 students (19
rd th
born are less open than later born. Openness in later from 3 year and 18 from 4 year) were included in
born children increases the likelihood of getting this category. For rest of the three categories sample
attention of their parents. Conscientious was found size was set at 37 students so the categories had
more in first born than the later born child. First born equal number of students in the final statistical
become like their parents while later born are analysis. The rest of the three groups were arranged
rebellious.9 in lists according to roll number of the students in
The significance of our study is that there are long their respective class. So it was easy to include first
held beliefs of Galton, Adler and Sulloway and 37 eligible students in each category (19 from 3rd
th
theories they have proposed and subjective report year and 18 from 4 year) after applying the
and views of general public. The objective of the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
current study was to assess the relationship of birth A data sheet was prepared which contained
order, personality factors and academic demographic information, birth order, academic
performance. We hypothesized that personality performance, Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10)11
factors and academic performance will be different and its scores. Academic performance was
across birth order and personality factors of the assessed by calculating the average of the
students will be associated with their academic percentage of numbers students got in first and
performance. second year annual examination by UHS.
Students study human anatomy physiology and
METHODOLOGY biochemistry in first two years of medical
The study was carried out at KMS Medical college. Results of these 3 subjects were taken for
rd th
College, Sialkot, Pakistan during the month of both 3 and 4 year students to maintain
February 2017. Ethical review committee of the uniformity. The data for academic performance
institution approved the study and written was collected from the college administration,
informed consent was taken from all participants. which keeps records of all the students. 5%
In this cross sectional study, Non-probability deduction from total average numbers obtained
convenience sampling technique was used and 3rd by the student was done for each failure in
th
and 4 year medical students were included. examination. There were two students in first
Inclusion criteria was consenting students who had three categories each and 3 in only child
spent at least 2 academic years in the medical categories who had failure in annual examination.
college, had appeared in annual professional 5% deduction from their average numbers
examinations conducted by the University of obtained was done. The demographic and other
Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore. Exclusion criteria variables of these 9 students were not very

40 Rawal Medical Journal: Vol. 43. No. 1, Jan.-Mar. 2018

 Relationship between birth order, personality and academic performance

different from the rest of the sample. All 9 sector medical colleges and represented almost the
students passed the supplementary examination similar percentage in the two classes. Mean age of
by UHS and were promoted to the next class. the students was 21.130.89 years with range from 20
BFI-10 was then administered. It is a shorter version to 22 years. 104 (70.7%) belonged to middle income
of the full 44 item BFI. It has 10 items. 2 items families while 8 (5.4%) and 36 (24.3%) belonged to
represent one dimension or sub-scale of the lower and upper income families respectively. 111
personality namely openness, conscientiousness, (75%) were from nuclear, 32 (21.6%) from joint and
extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. only 5 (3.4%) from extended family system. Total
Openness includes flexibility, originality and number of family members were up to 5 in 55
imaginativeness. In Extraversion sociability and (37.2%), 6 to 10 in 70 (47.3%) and more than 10 in
assertiveness are included. Agreeableness includes 23 (15.5%) students (Table 1).
trust, modesty and cooperativeness.
Conscientiousness includes responsibility and Table 1. Characteristics of the sample (N=148).
orderliness. Neuroticism includes hostility,
anxiousness and insecurity. The items have
questions like "I see myself as someone who is
generally trusting". Student rated each item on a 5
point Likert scale ranging from 1-5 (Disagree
strongly to agree strongly). Item number 2,6,8,9 and
10 are scored straight (true scored) while rest of the
five items are scored in reverse order. BFI-10 had
good discriminative as well as convergent validity
(r=0.78) with 44 item BFI. The cronbach's alpha for
the current study was .81.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test
mean scores of personality factors and academic
performance across different birth orders. Pearson
correlation test was applied to see the association of
personality with academic performance. Analysis
was done by SPSS v 21.

RESULTS
There were 148 students, 37 in each category of
birth order. 53 (35.8%) were male while 95 (64.2%)
were female. Female students were more in number,
may be because of open merit seats in the public

41 Rawal Medical Journal: Vol. 43. No. 1, Jan.-Mar. 2018

 Relationship between birth order, personality and academic performance

Table 3. Pearson correlation of personality factors and DISCUSSION

academic performance. The results of our study show that there is no
relationship of birth order with personality factors
and academic performance. Only conscientiousness
was positively related with the academic
performance while extraversion had negative
correlation. We did not find evidence for the long
held beliefs of Galton, Adler and Sulloway in our
study.
Studies carried out in Pakistan have mixed results. A
study from Hyderabad Sindh reported higher
Openness was highest in only child born (mean psychiatric morbidity in lower birth order than first
=3.52, SD=.82). However, there was no statistically birth order. GAD and depression were frequent
12
significant difference across the birth order in diagnosis (55%). Ansari et al reported cases with
personality factor of openness [F=1.017 and p=.387 OCD clustered in birth order-one and 44% of OCD
(p>0.05)]. Conscientiousness was highest in the patients were found to be birth order-one as
middle born (mean=3.52, SD=.97) but there was no compared to 19.40% of the rest of the psychiatric
13
statistically significant difference across the population. While another study reported from
different birth order [F=2.126, and p=.100 psychiatric OPD Isra University Hospital,
(p>0.05)]. Extraversion was highest is last born Hyderabad. Eighty two Schizophrenics were
(mean=3.31, SD=.92), agreeableness in middle and compared with the rest of the psychiatric population
last born (mean=3.68, SD=.97) (mean=3.68, with reference to gender, catchment area, and family
SD=1.01) and neuroticism in middle born type. Statistically no significant difference was
(mean=3.52, SD=.97). Academic performance was found between any of the birth order for the risk of
highest in last born (mean=71.72, SD=5.26). Schizophrenia. Risk of Schizophrenia appears to be
However students of different birth order had no minimum in first born males, and maximum in first
statistically significant difference in extraversion born females, but this does not reach statistical
[F=1,138, and p=.336 (p>0.05)] agreeableness significance. Risk apparently seems to decrease as
[F=.672, and p=.571 (p>0.05)] neuroticism [ birth order goes down among urban setting; and
F=2.199, and p=.091 (p>0.05)] and academic decrease as birth order goes up; but again this
performance [ F=1.042, and p=.376 (p>0.05)]. The finding does not reach the level of statistical
first hypothesis was rejected (Table 2). significance. The authors concluded that there
There was a significant positive correlation of appears to be no association between any birth order
conscientiousness with academic performance and risk of Schizophrenia.14
[r=.181, p=.028 (p<0.05)] and significant negative Birth order has been studied even with height birth
correlation of extraversion with academic orders 2, 3 and 4 were associated with shorter height
15
performance [r= -.186, p=.024, (p<0.05)]. There than birth order one respectively. Birth order has
was no significant correlation of openness [r=.109, also been linked to physical illnesses too. Birth
p=188, (p>0.05)], agreeableness [r=.151, p=.068, order and pregnancy were independently associated
(p>0.05)], and neuroticism [r=.013, p=.873, with a higher risk of developing systemic sclerosis.16
(p>0.05)] with academic performance. In summary Our study showed similar finding of positive
conscientiousness was positively correlated while correlation of conscientious with academic
extraversion was negatively correlated with performance. However, birth order and academic
1
academic performance. Rest of the 3 personality performance had no relationship in our study.
factors had no significant correlation with academic Another study examined pairs of siblings, 161 from
performance (Table 3). The second hypothesis was university students and 174 from other older adults.
only partially supported. Conscientious was higher and openness was lower

42 Rawal Medical Journal: Vol. 43. No. 1, Jan.-Mar. 2018

 Relationship between birth order, personality and academic performance

in first born than the second born. This is personality factors only conscientiousness had
17
inconsistent with our research. significant positive association with academic
In a study from Gomal University from Pakistan, it performance while extraversion had negative
was found that males were significantly better than association. Openness, agreeableness and
females at different levels of birth order. But at some neuroticism had no significant correlation with
stages in birth order females were better than males. academic performance.
So the results were mixed.18 In a study by Joseph, it
was seen that family size and birth order had no Author Contributions:
Conception and design: Rana Mozammil Shamsher Khan,
relationship with academic performance of Kalsoom Nawaz, Sehr Yaseen
19 Collection and assembly of data: Rana Modassir Shamsher Khan,
university students. This corroborates with Anum Rouf, Madawa Maryam
findings from our study. In a study on engineering Analysis and interpretation of the data: Kalsoom Nawaz,
students in India, first born were found to be Sehr Yaseen, Madawa Maryam, Saba Tabassum
Drafting of the article: Rana Mozammil Shamsher Khan, Kalsoom
perfectionist and conscientious.20 Responsibility Nawaz, Anum Rouf, Saba Tabassum
Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content:
and orderliness in medical and engineering students Rana Mozammil Shamsher Khan, Kalsoom Nawaz, Rana Modassir
is required for better academic performance. Our Shamsher Khan, Sehr Yaseen, Anum Rouf, Madawa Maryam,
Saba Tabassum
study and study from India report similar findings Statistical expertise: Rana Modassir Shamsher Khan, Anum Rouf,
and corroborate each other in this regard.20 Madawa Maryam, Saba Tabassum
Final approval and guarantor of the article: Rana Mozammil
The strengths of our study are that it had simple Shamsher Khan, Kalsoom Nawaz,
methodology. A between family design ruled out the Sehr Yaseen
Corresponding author email: Dr Rana Mozammil Shamsher
genetic and environmental confounding factors. Khan: [email protected]
Students were of almost similar age group and both Conflict of Interest: None declared
Rec. Date: Apr 5, 2017 Revision Rec. Date: Sep 9, 2017 Accept
genders were representative of the percentage of Date: Oct 10, 2017
students in each class. The assessment questionnaire
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