And Finally... Only-children 'happier' than those with siblings
The study, organised by a group called Understanding Society, tracked the lives of 100,000 people from 40,000 homes across the UK.
As part of the study, 2,500 children were interviewed. Of these, 31% said they were pushed or hit by a sibling 'quite a lot' or 'a lot'.
The study found that children's happiness decreased with every extra child there was in the family.
Actress Natalie Portman, herself an only-child, supported the findings, saying in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine: "I would never have been an actress if I weren't an only child because my parents would never have let me be the star of the family at the expense of another child."
University of Warwick professor Dieter Wolke added: "From anecdotal reports, quarreling siblings increase stress for parents, and some just give up intervening or intervene inconsistently, leaving the field wide open for the bully sibling."
The study suggested that children who are bullied both at home by their siblings and at school by their peers are the group most susceptible to developing behavioural difficulties.
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Tony White
