Biology Forums - Study Force

Describe development in middle childhood of only children in the United States and China.

Although sibling relationships bring many benefits, they are not essential for healthy development. Contrary to popular belief, only children are not spoiled, and in some respects, they are advantaged. U.S. children growing up in one-child and multichild families do not differ in self-rated personality traits. And compared to children with siblings, only children are higher in self-esteem and achievement motivation, do better in school, and attain higher levels of education. One reason may be that only children have somewhat closer relationships with parents, who may exert more pressure for mastery and accomplishment and can invest more time in their child’s educational experiences. However, only children tend to be less well-accepted in the peer group, perhaps because they have not had opportunities to learn effective conflict-resolution strategies through sibling interactions. Favorable development also characterizes only children in China, where a one-child family policy was enforced in urban areas for more than three decades, until it was abolished in 2015. Compared with agemates who have siblings, Chinese only children are slightly advantaged in cognitive development and academic achievement. They also feel more emotionally secure, perhaps because government disapproval led to tension in families with more than one child. Chinese mothers usually ensure that their children have regular contact with first cousins (who are considered siblings). Perhaps as a result, Chinese only children do not differ from agemates with siblings in social skills and peer acceptance.