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Our families constantly influence our mental health. While we clearly know about the impact of parenting on our emotional health, the role of siblings is not clearly researched. A large-scale study published in the Journal of Family Issues, found that teens with a greater number of siblings reported poorer mental health, compared to teens in smaller families.
We often complain about our brothers and sisters, but researchers have added to this feeling. They found that the number of siblings is negatively associated with mental health in China and the US.
They believe that the relationship is not causal and that the number of siblings don't cause worse mental health, though there is surely a negative correlation.
How do siblings in large families affect your mental health?
The research included more than 18,000 children from the US and China to answer various questions about their mental health. It was found that children with no siblings or just one other had the best mental health. Whereas, those with older brothers or sisters or ones born in one year of another had the worst mental health.
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What was contributing to these differences? While there are no clear answers, resource dilution can be considered one of the reasons. A family has a limited number of resources and as the number of children increases in the family, it creates a dilution.
Naturally, if a single child got the entire pizza, after their sibling's arrival, they would have to share half of the pizza. While for an adult, this may not be a big deal, it can slowly lead to difficulties between the children. It's not just about the pizza but anything that needs to be shared within the family.
This also means that children may fight for their parent's love and care. Parents can unknowingly have a negative impact on their children, and the arrival of another child can be one of them.
Is there a positive side to a greater number of siblings?
Yes, there can also be multiple benefits to living with a number of siblings. Not only do the children stick together in times of distress, but also have a larger number of cheerleaders. This naturally enhances a sense of unity.
There are numerous factors that impact a child's mental health, and it is also possible that in the company of elder brothers and sisters, they find comfort and peace.
It is important to note that there are many studies on the influences on a child's mental health. While this study sheds light on an unseen phenomenon, each conclusion should be seen with a pinch of salt. For some children, having an older brother or sister can also be a blessing and exceptions are always going to be there.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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