Subjective well-being: A comparison between only children and children with siblings

Pages: 167-170
Palak Maheshwari and Gulgoona Jamal (Department of Psychology, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India)

Being an only child has detrimental effects on an individual’s adjustment, personality, and character. Despite growing trends and evidences revealing the strengths of the only child, negative stereotypes about only children persist. To compare the subjective well-being by measuring affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem and global self-concept in case of only children and children with siblings. Cross-sectional comparison between groups. Group 1 (30 children with siblings) and Group 2 (30 only children) of age group 14-17 years; school students were examined and compared for affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-appraisals in looks, performance in sports, performance in school and peer relationship. Only children showed significantly low positive affect, higher negative affect, low affect balance, and low life satisfaction when compared to children with siblings but did not differ significantly in case of self-esteem. In self-appraisals, for looks, performance in school and popularity among peers, only children showed significantly higher ideal self and for school performance, significantly higher social and real self-conception than the children with siblings.