独生子女社交能力并不一定差

　　Many parents fear that having only one child causes him or her to miss out on peer interaction and placing him at social disadvantage later in life. However, researchers at Ohio State University have found that children without siblings overcome any social deficits they have by the time they are teens and have just as many friends as their peers.

　　The researchers, led by Donna Bobbit-Zeher and Douglas Downey, studied more than 13,000 teenagers aged between 12 and 18 (grades seven through 12). The adolescents were asked to name five male friends and five female friends. The average teen was named five times and only children were named as often as those with siblings.

　　The research also showed that parental age, race, and socio-economic status appeared to have no impact.

　　A previous study conducted by Downey in 2004 showed that children without brothers and sisters showed poorer social skills in kindergarten, including self-control and interpersonal skills, but this newer study indicates that the correlation diminishes over time.

　　“Anyone who didn't have that peer interaction at home with siblings gets a lot of opportunities to develop social skills as they go through school,” said Bobbit-Zeher.