A binational analysis was published this month by the Journal of Family Issues, suggesting that teens with more siblings may have poorer mental health — depending on numerous factors.
The study, according to Ohio State News, analyzed answers from more than 9,400 eighth graders in China and over 9,100 American eighth graders in the U.S. Although different questions were asked for each area, the report showed that Chinese children with no siblings had the best overall mental health, and American kids with no siblings or one sibling presented similar results.
Per The Guardian, the greatest impact on mental health in teens was found in participants with multiple siblings born less than a year apart.
What are the effects of having many siblings?
According to the study’s authors, “Parents who have more children may have fewer resources to reduce stress in the home relative to parents who have fewer children,” per HuffPost. They added, “Closely spaced siblings compete more for the kinds of resources the target child needs from parents.”
Doug Downey, professor of sociology at The Ohio State University and lead author of the study, claims that the overall findings explain the concept of “resource dilution,” or as he explains it:
“If you think of parental resources like a pie, one child means that they get all the pie — all the attention and resources of the parents,” Downey said. “But when you add more siblings, each child gets fewer resources and attention from the parents, and that may have an impact on their mental health.”
More children means less attention — but results can vary
Samantha Quigneaux, the national director of family therapy services at Newport Healthcare, told HuffPost, “More children could mean more competition for parents’ time and attention, and children who experience inconsistent or insufficient attention may develop feelings of neglect which can lead to mental health issues.”
However, Quigneaux did mention that kids can vary from the study’s results, as some kids may not need a parent’s attention to thrive.
Regarding siblings’ closeness in age, Jeff Gardere, clinical psychologist and professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, told HuffPost, “The reality is that (siblings) may be close in age but have individual needs and, as parents, we tend to miss that. In other words, we don’t distinguish their individual or unique needs or perspectives.”
More siblings could lead to healthy sibling relationships
While the study does find a correlation between higher amounts of siblings and lower mental health rates, it did not cover the quality of relationships between siblings. Downey expressed this limitation to Ohio State News, stating that higher-quality sibling relationships are typically beneficial to children and may lead to positive effects on mental health.
Additionally, as reported by The Guardian, the study revealed that higher rates of positive mental health were linked to a greater socioeconomic status.
Despite the study’s results, there have been some contradictory findings. For example, The Guardian shared a 2016 study that found Norwegian children had positive mental health rates in larger families.
In addition, previous work by Downey found a correlation between children with more siblings and higher rates of companionship among schoolmates, suggesting that the relationship between the amount of siblings and mental health produces varying results.