Close and more distant relatives are associated with child mortality risk in historical Finland

• Published in: Evolutionary human sciences Vol. 7; p. e5
• Main Authors: Lahdenperä, Mirkka, Salonen, Milla, Hiraoka, Takayuki, Seltmann, Martin W., Saramäki, Jari, Lummaa, Virpi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Cambridge University Press 2025
• Subjects: Child mortality; child survival; Children & youth; Communal breeding; Competition; Families & family life; Females; Generations; Investigations; Kin networks; Lutheran churches; Males; maternal and paternal lineages; Mortality; Population; Siblings; social relationships; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic status; Finland; depending on wealth and lineage; maternal and paternal lineages; Kin networks; social relationships; Relatives may aid or hinder child survival; child survival; offering insights into cooperative breeding

Humans are characterised as cooperative breeders, as not only the parents but also other members of the social group take part in raising offspring. The individuals who invest most in childrearing are usually the more closely related individuals. However, most studies have concentrated on close kin...