Are only children different? A study of child psychiatric referrals. A research note.
For this study, 683 only children seen in a psychiatric clinic were compared with 2364 children from two-child families seen in the same clinic. From the age of 5 years, there were no differences between the two groups. Among the under-5s, a higher proportion of only children had problems which did not warrant a psychiatric diagnosis, and their parents were more often rated as being over-protective. Our findings suggest, however, that the parents of only children differ from other parents not in being more over-protective but in being more willing or able to seek medical advice.
Richards
H
H
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London, U.K.
Goodman
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D009863:Only Child / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology