Parents, if you grew up with multiple siblings, you know that some of the time when things are “good,” with the sibling relationship, they are really good and when they are “bad,” they can be really bad. Although the effects of growing up with multiple siblings has long been debated on both sides of the coin, it hasn’t been until now that a new study has suggested that children growing up with multiple siblings have poorer mental health.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Family Issues, looked at 9,400 eighth graders in China and 9,100 eighth graders in America. In both countries, the researchers asked the participants questions to assess their mental health.
“The most important finding is that the number of siblings is inversely associated with mental health in both countries,” said Douglas B. Downey, PhD, a professor, and director of undergraduate studies in the sociology department at The Ohio State University, in an interview with Parents.com. Downey conducted the study with a doctoral student, Rui Cao, at Ohio State.
Downey and his colleagues found that teens in China with no siblings were found to have the best mental health. Teens with no or one sibling in the United States were also found to have a healthy mental health status. In contrast, teens in America who had older siblings or siblings closer to them in age, were found to have poorer mental health.
Downey has two main hypothesis for the study’s findings.
“Siblings dilute parental resources and compromise the quality of family interactions, leading to lower mental health, or the effect is not causal; the kinds of families that have many versus few children are different in the first place and less conducive to strong mental health.”
Yet, if you are the parent of multiple children, don’t fret. There are ways to ensure that you bolster and help to keep all of your children’s mental health as healthy as possible.
According to Emily Edlynn, PhD, clinical psychologist, Parents medical reviewer, and author of “Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent, Confident Children,” “it’s possible to be an attentive and responsive caregiver to more than one or two children.”
“As a mother of three myself, I know it’s possible to be an attentive and responsive caregiver to more than one or two children,” said Dr. Edlynn to Parents.com. “Just remember to see each relationship as unique and special, and tune into what kind of attention each child wants (e.g., deep talks or a fun outing). Do your best to carve out one-on-one time regularly, even if it’s just a few minutes before bed.”
It is important to mention that in Dr. Downey’s study, the sibling relationship was not taken into account as a study variable as in previous research studies. It has been well documented that a positive/healthy sibling relationship is actually “good for mental health.”
To read Dr. Downey’s study in its entirety, click here.