Effects of the “One-Child” Policy and the Number of Children in Families on the Mental Health of Children in China
Autori:
Minjie FAN
Cod: ISSN: 1583-3410 (print), ISSN: 1584-5397 (electronic)
Dimensiuni: pp. 105-129
How to cite this article:Fan, M. (2016). Effects of the “One-Child” Policy and the Number of Children in Families on the Mental Health of Children in China. Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala, 52, 105-129. |
Abstract:
For over three decades (1979 to 2015), China has comprehensively implemented
the “one-child” policy, consequently the number of “one-child” families has
increased. Due to being spoiled by their parents and the lack of companionship
from siblings, the “one-child” policy has exerted adverse effects on the mental
health development of only children. Using the survey data of the Rural–Urban
Migration in China from 2008 to 2009, self-esteem, mental stress, and depression
were employed in the study as indicators to measure mental health. An empirical
analysis was conducted to determine the influence of the “one-child” policy on
the mental health of the first generation of only children. Results demonstrate that
compared with non-only children, only children born under the “one-child” policy
are inclined to avoid difficulties and problems. In addition, they have low confidence,
suffer from mental stress, exhibit a high depression trend, and have low
happiness and sense of security. However, after further controlling the quantity of
children in each family, we find that under conditions with limited resources, the
case that larger families are better than one-child families is not true. As the
number of sibling increases, the mental health indicators of children initially
increase and then decline. This trend shows that having only one child or too
many children in the family can both adversely affect the improvement of population
quality. The results obtained in the study are beneficial for promoting the
mental quality of the population, improving the quality of life, significantly
optimizing the family structure.
Keywords:
one-child policy, only children, mental health, population quality, social development.
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