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Are Children with Siblings Really More Vulnerable Than Only Children in Health, Cognition and Non-cognitive Outcomes? Evidence from a Multi-province Dataset in China

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  • Hua Zhou
  • Di Mo
  • Renfu Luo
  • Ai Yue
  • Scott Rozelle

Abstract

The general goal of the present study is to analyze whether children with siblings lag behind their only-child counterparts in terms of health and nutrition, cognition and educational performance, and non-cognitive outcomes. We draw on a dataset containing 25 871 observations constructed from three school-level surveys spanning four provinces in China. The analysis compares children with siblings and only children aged 9 to 14 years old in terms of eight different health, cognitive and non-cognitive indicators. We find that with the exception of the anemia rate, health outcomes of children with siblings are statistically indistinguishable from those of only children. In terms of cognition, children with siblings performed better than only children. Moreover, outcomes of children with siblings are statistically indistinguishable from those of only children in terms of the non-cognitive outcomes provided by measures of anxiety. According to our results, the same general findings are true regardless of whether the difference between children with and without siblings is disaggregated by gender.

Suggested Citation

  • Hua Zhou & Di Mo & Renfu Luo & Ai Yue & Scott Rozelle, 2016. "Are Children with Siblings Really More Vulnerable Than Only Children in Health, Cognition and Non-cognitive Outcomes? Evidence from a Multi-province Dataset in China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 24(3), pages 3-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:chinae:v:24:y:2016:i:3:p:3-17
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    1. Lei Wang & Mengjie Li & Sarah-Eve Dill & Yiwei Hu & Scott Rozelle, 2019. "Dynamic Anemia Status from Infancy to Preschool-Age: Evidence from Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Liu, Xinghua & Chen, Kevin & Liu, Chengfang & Wang, Zimeiyi & Luo, Renfu, 2021. "Nutrition, Cognition and Social Emotion Among Preschoolers in Poor, Rural Areas of South Central China: Status and Correlates," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315866, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. De Neve, Jan-Walter & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2017. "Spillovers between siblings and from offspring to parents are understudied: A review and future directions for research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 56-61.

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