Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of
Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland

J 2026

Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland

KONÍKOVÁ, Linda; Patryk PANKOWSKI; Miroslav KRÁLÍK a Grażyna LICZBIŃSKA

Základní údaje

Originální název

Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland

Autoři

KONÍKOVÁ, Linda; Patryk PANKOWSKI; Miroslav KRÁLÍK a Grażyna LICZBIŃSKA

Vydání

Historical Life Course Studies, 2026, 2352-6343

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Článek v odborném periodiku

Obor

10700 1.7 Other natural sciences

Stát vydavatele

Nizozemské království

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Odkazy

Stránky vydavatele

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Organizační jednotka

Přírodovědecká fakulta

DOI

https://doi.org/10.52024/hlcs24844

Klíčová slova česky

Kojenecká úmrtnost; Dětská úmrtnost; Rodinná anamnéza; Historická demografie; Věk rodičů; Pohlaví sourozenců

Klíčová slova anglicky

Infant mortality; Child mortality; Family history; Historical demography; Parental age; Sibling sex composition

Změněno: 6. 3. 2026 19:28, Mgr. Linda Koníková

Anotace

V originále

This study examines how parental age, birth spacing, sibling number and sex composition, and local socioeconomic and environmental conditions shaped early-life mortality in 19th-century urban Poland. Using reconstructed family histories from the Poznań Historical Population Database, we estimated the risk of infant mortality (before age 1) and child mortality (ages 1–5). Generalized additive models (GAMs) with a binomial logistic link were fitted separately for firstborn (n = 1,023) and laterborn children (n = 2,572). Among firstborns, a larger parental age difference was associated with lower child mortality, potentially reflecting selective mating or differences in parental resources and investment. Among laterborns, infant mortality declined with increasing paternal age, consistent with greater socioeconomic stability among older fathers. Infant mortality was higher following the death of a preceding brother, whereas child mortality was lower among children with a preceding brother. Although birth order and interbirth interval showed no significant direct associations, the protective effect of having a preceding brother weakened with increasing birth order. Mortality risks also varied across parishes, underscoring the importance of local socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Elevated parish-level infant mortality among male firstborns was consistent with established patterns of male vulnerability in early life. Overall, these findings provide new evidence on the determinants of early-life mortality in 19th-century Poznań and highlight the value of integrating biological, familial, and contextual factors when examining early-life survival in historical populations.

Přiložené soubory

2558659.pdf

Citovat

KONÍKOVÁ, Linda; Patryk PANKOWSKI; Miroslav KRÁLÍK a Grażyna LICZBIŃSKA. Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland. Historical Life Course Studies. 2026, roč. 16, s. 46-57. ISSN 2352-6343. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.52024/hlcs24844.

@article{2558659,
   author = {Koníková, Linda and Pankowski, Patryk and Králík, Miroslav and Liczbińska, Grażyna},
   doi = {https://doi.org/10.52024/hlcs24844},
   keywords = {Infant mortality; Child mortality; Family history; Historical demography; Parental age; Sibling sex composition},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {2352-6343},
   journal = {Historical Life Course Studies},
   title = {Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland},
   url = {https://hlcs.nl/article/view/24844},
   volume = {16},
   year = {2026}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2558659
AU  - Koníková, Linda - Pankowski, Patryk - Králík, Miroslav - Liczbińska, Grażyna
PY  - 2026
TI  - Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland
JF  - Historical Life Course Studies
VL  - 16
SP  - 46-57
EP  - 46-57
SN  - 23526343
KW  - Infant mortality
KW  - Child mortality
KW  - Family history
KW  - Historical demography
KW  - Parental age
KW  - Sibling sex composition
UR  - https://hlcs.nl/article/view/24844
N2  - This study examines how parental age, birth spacing, sibling number and sex composition, and local socioeconomic and environmental conditions shaped early-life mortality in 19th-century urban Poland. Using reconstructed family histories from the Poznań Historical Population Database, we estimated the risk of infant mortality (before age 1) and child mortality (ages 1–5). Generalized additive models (GAMs) with a binomial logistic link were fitted separately for firstborn (n = 1,023) and laterborn children (n = 2,572). Among firstborns, a larger parental age difference was associated with lower child mortality, potentially reflecting selective mating or differences in parental resources and investment. Among laterborns, infant mortality declined with increasing paternal age, consistent with greater socioeconomic stability among older fathers. Infant mortality was higher following the death of a preceding brother, whereas child mortality was lower among children with a preceding brother. Although birth order and interbirth interval showed no significant direct associations, the protective effect of having a preceding brother weakened with increasing birth order. Mortality risks also varied across parishes, underscoring the importance of local socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Elevated parish-level infant mortality among male firstborns was consistent with established patterns of male vulnerability in early life. Overall, these findings provide new evidence on the determinants of early-life mortality in 19th-century Poznań and highlight the value of integrating biological, familial, and contextual factors when examining early-life survival in historical populations.
ER  -

KONÍKOVÁ, Linda; Patryk PANKOWSKI; Miroslav KRÁLÍK a Gra$\backslash$.zyna LICZBI$\backslash$'NSKA. Reproductive Timing and Family Structure as Determinants of Early-Life Mortality in Historical Poland. \textit{Historical Life Course Studies}. 2026, roč.~16, s.~46-57. ISSN~2352-6343. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.52024/hlcs24844.

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