The easy answer is that yes, of course only children can be lonely but it's not necessarily because they're only children — it often occurs because they don't have strong social connections with other people, especially those their own age.
Only-children are sometimes said to be more likely to develop precocious interests (from spending more time with adults) and to feel lonely. Sometimes they compensate for the aloneness by developing a stronger relationship with themselves or developing an active fantasy life that includes imaginary friends.
More likely to be sad, disconnected, and worried.
Kids deal with loneliness in different ways. They may keep their sadness inside and pull away from others. Or they may become angry and act out. The combination of negative emotions and isolation can lead to depression and anxiety.
Many only children are grateful that they don't have siblings. They enjoy more quality time with their parents, get more opportunities, and build higher IQs, self-esteem, confidence, and creativity. They carry these benefits with them into adulthood.
About half reported that being an “only” made it hard to make friends because they had no practice with siblings – they became loners with a lack of good relationships. The other half reported that having no siblings obliged them to become socially skilled, and that they were great at forming relationships.
Want to be a happier parent? Grow your family to at least four children! According to a study out of Australia's Edith Cowan University, parents with the most life satisfaction (which means those who are the happiest) are those that have four or more children. Dr.
Only children are normally described as mature, resourceful, independent and insular. There may be an association with Introversion here, as onlies stereotypically display the traits of a “super firstborn.”
There is evidence to suggest that healthy sibling relationships promote empathy, prosocial behavior and academic achievement. While healthy sibling relationships can be an incredible source of support, unhealthy and toxic sibling relationships may be equally devastating and destabilizing.
Women are happiest with one child
One study looked at identical twins aged 25-45. By comparing twins, researchers could ignore genetic causes for having fewer children or being depressed. They found that a woman's first child increased her happiness. But each additional child negatively effected her well-being.
Research has showed that, while having one child is associated with a gain in happiness, having a second is associated with a drop in happiness for mothers.
For example, previous research has revealed that socially isolated children tend to have lower subsequent educational attainment, be part of a less advantaged social class in adulthood, and are more likely to be psychologically distressed in adulthood (Lacey, Kumari & Bartley, 2014).
Children left unsupervised often exhibit higher levels of fear, stress, loneliness and boredom. They are also at a greater risk to be involved in accidents and to be victimized by strangers, siblings, and friends. Children left home alone may also be more vulnerable to sexual abuse due to their easier access.
It's true: Only children may be at a higher risk for getting "spoiled" when compared to families with more kiddos. But that's not necessarily a bad thing! Here are some tips for how to make the most of your family structure, while still not overdoing it.
You might notice they become withdrawn or clingy, or that their behaviour gets more challenging. Talk to your child about positive relationships. Keep it light – show an interest in their friends or peers, and ask how they feel about them. Let them know it's OK to be alone sometimes.
Research on this topic is mixed, and there is no clear consensus on whether being an only child has any significant impact on one's relationships. That being said, some people may perceive individuals who are only children as having certain traits or tendencies that can affect their relationships.
Most parents are concerned about how their children will hold up after they are gone. Having another child solves that for good. They'll have each other's lifelong company. If you're close to your siblings, you'll know that your child deserves the same solid support system you had when growing up.
Child number two or three doesn't make a parent happier. And, for mothers, he found, more children appear to make them less happy—although they are happier than childless women. For dads, additional children had no effect on their well-being in his study.
Women with two children are a bit less happy than their childless peers, with a 4-percentage-point gap (p < . 10). There are no appreciable differences in happiness for women with three or more kids; their levels of happiness are statistically indistinguishable from those of childless women.
An only child is more content and confident than those with siblings, reports The Observer. Happiness in children declines once there are more siblings in the home, an Understanding Society research study has found.
Modern science suggests only children are exceedingly normal. Studies that go back to the 1980s show there are no set differences between singletons and children with siblings, aside from onlies having stronger bonds with their parents.
An only child is just as happy as everyone else. In fact, as kids, they are probably happier. But throughout life, they have just as many close friends. They even enjoy more career success.
In some countries, such as China and South Korea, more than 40% of all families have one child. Similarly, in many other countries including the United States, Canada and Australia over 30% of households consist of a single parent with one child.
Indeed, most contemporary studies don't find any notable disadvantages for only children. Onlies actually tend to have higher intelligence-test scores and more ambitious educational goals—perhaps in part because they face less competition for their parents' emotional and financial resources.
It has been suggested that because only children do not have consistent interaction with other children, they do not learn how to manage negative feedback such as childhood name calling or teasing. Thus, only children are assumed to be super sensitive and emotionally wounded by constructive feedback, even as adults.