Abstract
Could mental health be worse in teens who come from large families? Researchers from The Ohio State University seem to think so based on research that found teens with a greater number of siblings reported poorer mental health than those who came from smaller families, Fox News reported. The large‐scale study published last month in the Journal of Family Issues. It included more than 9,400 eighth graders in China and more than 9,100 children of the same age in the U.S. The participants in both countries answered various questions about their mental health. Based on the responses, among the Chinese teens, the ones with no siblings were found to have the best mental health. In the U.S., teens with no siblings or just one sibling had the best mental health. The researchers did not analyze the quality of sibling relationships, which could have a direct impact on mental health, said Doug Downey, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University. At this point, Downey said, it is too early to recommend any changes in human behavior based on these findings.
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