Adolescent Academic Outcomes after Birth of Half-Sibling

Jani Turunen, Stockholm University

In this study I aim to shed more light on the effect of gaining a half-sibling on school performance of children living in stepfamilies in Sweden. I will examine the impact of the birth of a half-sibling into an adolescent’s main residential family on his or her ninth grade grade point average and whether the effect differs depending on the sex of the adolescent. Using Swedish register data this paper will address the following questions: (1) Is the birth of a half-sibling related to an increased risk of poor academic outcomes in Sweden? (2) Does the effect vary by gender and parent-stepparent union status? This study will be based on longitudinal Swedish register data using a quasi-experimental research design. Each case will be matched to multiple controls that share the same risk for a low grade point average but do not experience the birth of a half-sibling (the “treatment”).