Comparison of personality traits of only and sibling school children in Beijing

The role of imaginary companion in the life of only children: a qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

An imaginary companion is an invisible or personified entity created by children for themselves. An imaginary companion typically serves as a companion to the child and plays a significant role in their life, especially for only children who may experience more loneliness compared to other children. This research was conducted to investigate the role of an imaginary companion in the lives of only children.

METHOD

The present study was conducted using a qualitative method and a content analysis approach. Through purposeful sampling, a total of 34 preschool and primary school children, aged 6 to 9 years, from schools in Mashhad city, were selected until saturation was reached. They were subjected to semi-structured interviews. After data collection, the data were coded, and then the main and sub-themes were extracted.

RESULTS

The research findings were represented in the form of 196 statements, 28 sub-themes, and 9 main themes. The main themes included the role of an imaginary companion in alleviating loneliness, the role of an imaginary companion in amusement, the role of an imaginary companion in emotional regulation, conversations with an imaginary companion, guidance from an imaginary companion for good and bad behaviors, the assistance of an imaginary companion in tasks, helping to generate new scenarios, the advantages of having an imaginary companion, and the disadvantages of having one.

CONCLUSION

Based on the aforementioned findings, it can be concluded that the presence of an imaginary companion can not only support children but also promote creativity and distance them from the virtual space and realities of the real world. Parental awareness of this matter can aid in the child's growth, fulfill their needs, and, on the other hand, prevent potential harm to children.

Association of single child family with subjective health complaints in children and adolescents

The number of single-child families has been increasing across developing countries during the last decades. We aimed to examine the association between being a single child (SC) and subjective health complaints (SHCs) in Iranian children and adolescents. This study was conducted as a part of the fifth survey of a national surveillance program entitled Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Non-communicable disease (CASPIAN-V). This national survey included a total of 14,400 students 7-18 years and their parents from rural and urban areas in 30 provinces of Iran. Data on demographic characteristics, lifestyle variables, and SHCs were measured using the questionnaire of the World Health Organization on Global School-based Health Survey (WHO-GSHS). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for the association of being an SC with SHCs. Data on 14,151 participants were available for this study, of whom 7.7% (1092) were SCs. The most frequent SHCs were irritability (37.1%, 95%CI: 36.3-37.9%), feeling nervous 32.5%, 95% CI: (31.7-33.3%), and headache 24.3%, 95%CI: (23.6-25.0% ). In the multivariate model, being an SC significantly increased the odds of dizziness [adjusted OR (95% CI): 1.37(1.08-1.72)] and backache complaint [1.22(1.01-1.47)]. The association of being an SC with other SHCs (feeling low, irritability, feeling nervous, difficulty in getting to sleep, headache, stomachache) was not statistically significant (p value > 0.05). Our results suggest that being an SC may be associated with higher odds of dizziness and backache complaints.

Differences in Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Results between Only-Child and Non-Only-Child Children: Analysis of Propensity Scores Based on Large-Scale Assessment

Based on the data of 3561 fifth-grade and 4062 eighth-grade students from the Beijing Assessment of Educational Quality in China, the present study used a propensity-value matching model to scientifically analyze only-child and non-only-child children in primary and secondary schools. Female differences in cognitive outcomes (linguistic performance) and non-cognitive outcomes (teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, and emotional management) were also evaluated. The results of the study were as follows. First, fifth-grade only-child students had a higher linguistic performance compared to that of their non-only-child counterparts, and the same result was found for eighth-grade students. Second, fifth- and eighth-grade only-child students had good teacher-student relationships that were not significantly different from those of their non-only-child counterparts. Third-, fifth-, and eighth-grade only-child students had significantly better peer relationships and emotional management compared to these parameters in their non-only-child counterparts.

A cross-sectional study on personality, coping strategies and quality of life of a single child and with siblings among undergraduate health profession students in Tamil Nadu

BACKGROUND

Over the years, there is an increase in the prevalence of single-child families due to the declining fertility rate, to improve socioeconomic status, and promotion of family planning policies. Studies from other countries revealed psychological issues in the single child; this study aims to determine the differences in personality, coping strategies, and quality of life (QOL) of single child and one among siblings group among undergraduate health professional students of an educational group in Tamil Nadu.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design with universal sampling was used to collect data from 890 consenting undergraduate students. Instruments used were semi-structured pro forma to collect sociodemographic details, Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), Coping Strategies Inventory-Short Form, and WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, percentages, and independent t-test along with Spearman's correlation tests were used to analyze data and compare groups.

RESULTS

A total of 863 study participants' data were included in the analysis. About 8.92% (n = 77) of participants were single child, and >87% were from urban background. About 47% of respondents were from medical. Single female child had higher mean extroversion scores and used problem-focused disengagement strategies than females with siblings. The number of siblings was negatively correlated with the disengagement score. No difference noticed in QOL domains between the groups.

CONCLUSION

This study did not find any significant difference in personality dimensions, coping strategies, and QOL between single child and those with siblings. However, a positive association was observed between extroversion, engagement coping strategies, and QOL.

Assessing Measurement Invariance of the Children’s Depression Inventory in Chinese and Italian Primary School Student Samples

This study tested the measurement invariance of Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and compared its factorial variance/covariance and latent means among Chinese and Italian children. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis of the original five factors identified by Kovacs revealed that full measurement invariance did not hold. Further analysis showed that 4 of 21 factor loadings, 14 of 26 intercepts, and 12 of 26 item errors were noninvariant. Factor variance and covariance invariant tests revealed significant differences between Chinese and Italian samples. The latent factor mean comparison suggested no significant difference across the two groups. Nevertheless, the finding of partial metric and scalar invariance suggested that observed mean differences on the CDI items cannot be fully explained by the mean differences in the latent factor. These results suggest that researchers and practitioners exercise caution when gauging the size of the true national population differences in depressive symptoms among Italian and Chinese children when assessed via CDI. In addition to providing needed evidence on the use of the CDI in Italian and Chinese children specifically, the methods used in this research can serve more generally as an example for other cross-cultural assessment research to test structural equivalence and measurement invariance of scales and to determine why it is important to do so.

Dreams of tigers and flowers: child gender predictions and preference in an urban mainland Chinese sample during pregnancy

In an urban, mainland Chinese sample, we investigated expectant mothers' stated gender preference for a boy or girl child, their conjectures on the fetal gender, the culture-specific beliefs for making their predictions, and their relations to sociodemographic variables. A total of 174 women were interviewed at 12-19 weeks gestation. Among 84 women who made a prediction on gender, 56 (67%) thought they were carrying a boy, and 28 (33%) expected a girl. The most frequent reasons cited for their speculation were personal feelings (36%), food/taste preference (13%), feedback from others (13%), somatic responses (13%), and dreams (7%). Out of 63 women who stated a wish for a boy or girl child, 45 (71%) wished for a girl and 18 (29%) wished for a boy. Women with undergraduate or graduate degrees were more likely to indicate a preference for boys. Older expectant mothers were more likely to report that they thought they were carrying boys. In conclusion, the majority of the women did not state a distinct choice for gender of the child. When they expressed a gender preference, more mothers expressed a desire to have a girl. However, boy child conjectures were more frequent than girl child conjectures. Greater boy child preference and prediction among the most highly educated and older expectant mothers might be reflective of implicit social status in having sons in urban China.

THE IMPACT OF SIBLING STATUS ON CHINESE COLLEGE STUDENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE

The World Health Organization Quality of Life-100 (WHOQOL-100, Power, Harper, Bullinger, & WHO1QLG), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (Zhang, 1993), and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zhang, 1993) were used to determine whether Chinese college students from only child and sibling child families rated perceptions of their quality of life differently. Small to moderate significant differences were found when comparing only students to sibling students on the WHOQOL-100 with no significant differences on measures of anxiety and depression. These results suggest that only students do not differ greatly from sibling students in terms of their overall perceptions of their quality of life. A unique characteristic of this study was that it targeted older college students born after implementation of the one-child-per-family policy in China. Also, self-rating instruments were used to gain a greater holistic understanding of the emotional well-being, physical state and social functioning of students. Several psychosocial and economic reasons, including methodological issues related to this study's findings, were discussed.

Health effects of family size: cross sectional survey in Chinese adolescents

AIMS

To determine whether only children differ in terms of morbidity, nutritional status, risk behaviours, and utilisation of health services from children with siblings, in China.

METHODS

A cross sectional survey was carried out using self completion questionnaires, anthropometry, and haemoglobin measurement in middle schools (predominant age 12-16 years) in three distinct socioeconomic areas of Zhejiang province, eastern China.

RESULTS

Data were obtained for 4197 participants. No significant differences were found between only children and those with siblings for some key indicators: underweight 19% v 18%, suicide ideation 14% v 14%, and ever smoking 17% v 15%. Only children were more likely to be overweight (4.8% v 1.5%), and to have attended a doctor (71% v 63%) or dentist (17% v 10%) in the past year. Sibling children are significantly more likely to be anaemic (42% v 32%) and to admit to depression (41% v 21%) or anxiety (45% v 37%). However, after adjusting for area, sex, and parental education levels only two differences remained: sibling children are more likely to be bullied (OR 1.5, 1.1-2.0; p = 0.006) and are less likely to confide in parents (OR 0.6, 0.3-0.8, p = 0.009). There were no significant differences in the key parameters between first and second born children.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no detrimental effects of being an only child using the indicators measured. Being an only child may confer some benefits, particularly in terms of socialisation.

Longitudinal analysis of development among single and nonsingle children in Nanjing, China: ten-year follow-up study

In order to examine the impact of "one-child-per-couple" family planning policy on child development, a longitudinal study of a group of children in Nanjing, China, was carried out between 1984 and 1995. The same cohort of children was examined at four stages of development: preschool, early school, preadolescence, and adolescence. Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist was used to measure the child's behavior. A total of 274 children were surveyed in all four stages. The total behavior problem scores obtained at different stages of development were compared among boys and girls. The results showed that the total score declined significantly in association with the time. As the child grew older, the problems score decreased significantly. This maturation effect was seen for both boys and girls. On average, boys' scores dropped from 21 to 11, whereas girls' scores went from 19.5 to 12. In comparing single with nonsingle boys, there were no significant differences throughout the four stages of development. However, girls who were single children, in contrast to girls with siblings, had significantly higher scores of total behavior problems at each stage of development. These findings illustrate that the longitudinal effect of being a "single-child" is similar to other studies, indicating a minimal impact of family policy. However, the effects were more prominent among girls. This phenomenon can be explained by parents' different attitude toward single-children because of gender difference.

Physical and personality traits of preschool children in Fuzhou, China: only child vs sibling

Concern about the healthy growth and development of an only child has been voiced since the 1970s, when the Chinese government launched the only child policy. In this study, the physical and personality traits of rural Chinese preschool only-children (onlies) whose age ranged from 3 to 6 years old were evaluated. The sample included 197 onlies and 367 children with siblings who came from seven kindergartens in rural areas in Fuzhou, Fujian province. The results showed no statistically significant differences in height, mass or BMI between the onlies and siblings. Regarding the personality traits, the significant difference was that the onlies exhibited more somatic complaints, however, the data didn't indicate any other undesirable personality traits for the onlies. These results suggest that Chinese preschool children grow normally with or without siblings.

Moral values of only and sibling children in mainland China

Seventh graders (N = 346) in Beijing and Shanghai were administered the Chinese Values Survey (M. H. Bond & the Chinese Culture Connection, 1987) and the Rokeach Values Survey (modified version; R. A. Cole, 1972) in 1992. Results showed no statistically significant difference in scores between only and sibling children who rated Chinese values and Rokeach terminal values. The 2 groups appeared to be significantly different in rating Rokeach instrumental values, but the effect sizes accounted for less than 2% of the variance. The stereotype of only children as being "spoiled" was not supported by the data.