Theonlychild:notaloner独生子女也合群

Theonlychild:notaloner独生子女也合群

TheGist:Growingupwithoutsiblingsdoesn?tharmsocialskills.

TheSource:“GoodforNothing?NumberofSiblingsandFriendshipNominationsAmongAdolescents,”byDonnaBobbitt?herandDouglasB.Downey,OhioStateUniversity.

Serialparentsmaythinkthateachnewsiblingofferstheiroffspringthegiftofcompanionship.Butwhilewetendtothinkthatsiblingsteachoneanotherconflictresolutionandotherinterpersonalskills,newresearchsaystheyarenobetteroffsociallythanchildrenwithoutsiblings.

“Moststudieslookatthenegativeconsequencesofhavingsiblingsintermsofeducationaloutcome,”saidDonnaBobbitt?Zeher,theleadauthorofthestudy.“Butwedecidedtolookatsocialskillstoseeiftherewasanyotherpossiblebenefittohavingbrothersorsisters.”Sheandherco?author,DouglasDowneyaresociologistsatOhioState?sMarioncampus,andneitherisanonlychild.TheypresentedtheirfindingsattheannualmeetingoftheAmericanSociologicalAssociationinAugust.

Thepaperisinlargepartareplytoa2004study,“PlayingWellWithOthersinKindergarten:TheBenefitsofSiblingsatHome,”alsoco?authoredbyDr.Downey,whichfoundthatkindergartenteachersratedchildrenwithoutsiblingsworseininterpersonalskills,self?controlandproblembehaviors.

Butanonlychildisn?tnecessarilyaloner,misfitandbrat.First,thesocialadvantagesfoundinchildrenwithsiblingsinthekindergartenstudywerequitemodest.Second,thestudyreliedonteacherevaluations,andteachersmaynotbereliablejudgesoffriendshipsamongtheircharges.

Andnowitseemsthatanybenefitsdocumentedinkindergartendisappearaltogetherbymiddleschool.Usingametriccalled“peernomination,”inwhichyouthsareaskedtoidentifytheirfriendsbyname,Dr.DowneyandDr.Bobbitt?ZeherdrewondatafromtheNationalLongitudinalStudyofAdolescentHealth,withasamplesizeof13,466studentsin7ththrough12thgrades.Theythencountedhowmanypeoplenamedeachinpidualasafriend.Thiswasusedtoproximatesocialskillssincethesociallyineptwouldbeunlikelytohavelotsoffriends.Theresult:childrenwithoutsiblingshadjustasmanyfriendsaschildrenwithsiblings.

“Iseethetwostudiesasanaturalprogression,showingwhathappenstotheonlychildrenwhodidnthavemuchinteractionbeforekindergarten,”Dr.Downeysaid.Anotherstudyheisworkingonshowsthatthesameonlychildrenevaluatedinkindergartenhadcaughtupbyfifthgrade.

Whilethestudiesdon?texaminethecauseforthedisappearingsocialboosttokindergartnerswithsiblings,Dr.Downeyspeculatesthatcontinuingschool,youthclubsandothergroupactivities—especiallyinaneraofoverscheduledchildren—provideampleopportunityforonlystosharpentheirskills.

Or,speculatesDaltonConley,asociologistatN.Y.U.whohasstudiedsiblingrelationships,becauseanonlychildtendstobeadult?centric,“it?splausibletheseonlykidshavetroublerelatingtofellow5?year?鄄olds.”Headded,“Astheyage,theyarebetterabletorelatetokidswhoaremoreadultlike.”

北京冯辉供稿