What if you are an only child?

The more brothers and sisters you have, the less likely your parents are to divorce, reveals the American Sociological Association during its annual congress held in New York.

According to this research, for each sibling who has one person (up to seven), the probability of divorce is reduced by 2%. The findings come from an analysis of the data collected from approximately 57,000 people in the United States between 1972 and 2012.

 

What if you are an only child?

Although having more than seven siblings did not provide any additional protection, it was not a bad thing either. The researchers of the Ohio State University They claim that one of the most surprising findings was that there was not much difference between being an only child and having one or two siblings.

"We expected that if you have a brother, that would give you experience in personal relationships that could help you in your marriage," the co-author of the study said in a press release from the association. Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, assistant professor of psychology .

"However, we find that the truth seems to be in the way family dynamics change with each new sibling, having more siblings means having more experience dealing with others, and that seems to provide additional help in managing the marriage relationship of adult".

Although the study found a relationship between having more siblings and a lower probability of divorce, it did not show that there was causality. Since they were presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The positive effects of having more brothers and sisters were observed in all the generations considered in the study. The research did not examine the reasons why having more siblings reduces the risk of divorce, but there are many possible reasons, according to the co-author of the study, Doug Downey .