Remember being a teenager? The social awkwardness, the confusion, low self-confidence and self esteem problems? The acne problems, out of proportion arms, weight gain and loss, choosing what shirt to wear to pick up that love interest?
Well, it seems that those of us who are lucky enough (Or unlucky enough…) to be born without siblings are not disadvantaged when it comes to social skills, a new study conducted by Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, Assistant Professor of Sociology, and Douglas Downey, Professor of Sociology, both at Ohio State Univeristy Marion campus, reveals.
“The concern that a lack of siblings might hurt children’s social skills has become more significant in recent years.” [However,] “I don’t think anyone has to be concerned that if you don’t have siblings, you won’t learn the social skills you need to get along with other students in high school,” said Bobbitt-Zeher.
Back in 2004, it was found that, after a study, those children without siblings had less social skills than those with siblings in kindergarten. This, however, changes over the years as the child hits adolescence, according to this new study.
More than a hundred schools were studied, taking in years 7 through to 12.