Scientists have discovered that being an only child does not make a child less sociable

If you have a child at home and have already considered the possibility of having another, you certainly know that this is a very delicate and personal issue. After all, it is necessary to take into account all the difficulties that arise with the arrival of a second child. But, at the same time, there is the insecurity that the education of an only child will be affected or limited precisely by the lack of company of a sibling. If these doubts are common in your head, know that a new study can change your perception on this topic.

O awesome.club shares encouraging information about raising single children in this post. They will help you clarify your doubts and make any kind of decision regarding this matter with more confidence.

One of the many reasons why a parent starts to wonder whether it would be a good idea to have another baby has to do with the fact that many people, especially older people who have already raised children, end up calling these parents selfishfor not thinking about “how good it would be for the child to have a little brother to play with or just for company”.

But is this really selfishness? Does it make sense to think about having a child just to provide your brother with a full life, without worrying about whether or not it is possible to meet all his needs? This is without taking into account that parents need some time to themselves to regain energy and rest from the exhausting task of raising a child.

This idea has to do with a series of beliefs and even analyzes by researchers according to which, if a child grows up without siblings, he will have impaired socialization skills. Among these studies, there is one carried out by Douglas Downey, renowned professor at the University of Ohio, in the USA, specialist in sociology, social stratification, education and family.

That research, done in conjunction with sociology doctor Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, analyzed more than 20,000 preschool-age children and found that teachers rated children without siblings negatively. in the areas of interpersonal skills, self-control, and problem behaviors.

But Downey and Donna identified a problem with the previously mentioned study they conducted themselves: the research was based on assessments made by teachers and that could not be considered neutral. Therefore, the specialists returned to the field for a new research, changing the object of study.

For this new work, which analyzed 13,000 American students from 7th to 12th grade, they asked young people to indicate up to 5 girls or boys who were their friends. Students who did not have siblings were mentioned about 5 times, just like the ones they had. The research used a metric called “peer naming” and relied on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to derive results.

This study, which emerged as a response to the previous one, showed that all possible results recorded in the preschool phase and related to a supposed socialization difficulty disappear with the child’s development and the social relationships established at school. This means that interaction with other children at school is enough to correct and improve these social skills, making them equivalent to those of a child with siblings. “I see the 2 studies as a natural progression that shows what happens to only children who don’t have a lot of interaction before kindergarten,” Downey said.

Thus, the results and findings of this research completely challenge the common sense that a sibling is a small companion with whom social skills are developed. According to the researchers, in only children these skills develop as school life progresses. A gap that, if present, is completely eliminated by around 7 or 8 years of age.

Regarding the differences between children who have or do not have siblings, another study was added that linked the family environment with the structural development of the brain. This research sought to clarify whether the difference in behavior in the two cases had some kind of neuronal basis. Results revealed that only children scored higher on flexibility (an area or dimension of creativity), meaning that tend to be more creative than those who have siblings.

The study was conducted in China with 303 participants, 126 only children and 177 with siblings, all highly educated adults. The researchers evaluated the differences in cognition and personality and structural anatomical features of gray matter volume using voxel-based morphometry, a neuroimaging analysis technique.

Now, if you have only one child, you can use these surveys as a basis for deciding whether or not you want a second one. And, if you’ve already decided, tell us: why did you choose to have one or more children?