愛薇塔樂學英文

TOEFL托福閱讀練習：獨生子女更幸福

Reasons for only children being more contented include not having to compete for parental attention with a sibling.

Only children are happier than those with brothers or sisters, according to new research which shows sibling rivalry can have a serious effect on a child's emotional wellbeing.

英國一項最新研究顯示，獨生子女比有兄弟姐妹的孩子更幸福，而且家庭中手足同胞之間的敵意會對孩子的心理健康產生嚴重的影響。

Over half of the children surveyed said they had been bullied by a sibling, and one in three said they had been hit, kicked or pushed on regular occasions. Others complained of name-calling and having their belongings stolen.

該研究指出，受調查的孩子中超過半數都表示曾經被兄弟姐妹欺負，還有孩子稱曾遭辱駡或者個人物品被偷。

The Understanding Society study run by the Institute for Social and Economic Research concluded that happiness declines the more siblings there are in a household.

Other reasons for only children being more contented include not having to compete for parental attention or share bedrooms with a sibling, said Gundi Knies, a researcher on the project.

Dr Ruth Koppard, a child psychologist, said: "In an average home, the more children, the less privacy for each child. Some love sharing a bedroom with a sibling but they would rather choose to do it than have to do it."

Homes with just one child make up nearly half of all families in Britain.

The study, to be published on Friday, questioned 2,500 young people. It also found that seven out of 10 teenagers are "very satisfied" with their lives and children from ethnic minorities are happier than their white counterparts.

這項研究還顯示，不用在父母那裡爭寵以及不用與兄弟姐妹共用臥室等也是獨生子女感覺更加幸福的原因。