Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, & Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2024 May 1;37(3):147-161. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000935. Epub 2024 Feb 26.
Controversy remains about the difference in mental health status among children and adolescents between one-child and multichild families in China. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies comparing mental health status between both groups and explored their potential moderating factors.
Totally, 113 eligible studies encompassing 237 899 participants (one-child families: 83 125; multichild families: 154 774) were included. The pooled SMD of SCL-90 total score was -0.115 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): -0.152; -0.078; I2 = 86.9%]. Specifically, children and adolescents from one-child families exhibited lower scores in terms of somatization (SMD = -0.056; 95% CI: -0.087; -0.026), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (SMD = -0.116; 95% CI: -0.154; -0.079), interpersonal sensitivity (SMD = -0.140; 95% CI: -0.171; -0.109), depression (SMD = -0.123; 95% CI: -0.159; -0.088); anxiety (SMD = -0.121; 95% CI: -0.151; -0.092); phobic anxiety (SMD = -0.124; 95% CI: -0.166; -0.081); paranoid ideation (SMD = -0.040; 95% CI: -0.070; -0.009); and psychoticism (SMD = -0.119; 95% CI: -0.148; -0.089). Study publication year was significantly associated with differences in mental health status between both groups ( P = 0.015).
Children and adolescents from one-child families had better mental health status compared to those from multichild families in China. Future studies should investigate the underlying factors contributing to such mental health differences, and the potential interventions that could address these mental health problems.
中国一孩家庭和二孩家庭的儿童和青少年在心理健康状况方面存在差异，这一问题仍存在争议。因此，我们对比较两组心理健康状况的研究进行了荟萃分析，并探讨了其潜在的调节因素。
共纳入 113 项符合条件的研究，包含 237899 名参与者（一孩家庭：83125 名；二孩家庭：154774 名）。SCL-90 总分的合并 SMD 为-0.115[95%置信区间（95%CI）：-0.152；-0.078；I²=86.9%]。具体而言，一孩家庭的儿童和青少年在躯体化（SMD=-0.056；95%CI：-0.087；-0.026）、强迫症症状（SMD=-0.116；95%CI：-0.154；-0.079）、人际敏感（SMD=-0.140；95%CI：-0.171；-0.109）、抑郁（SMD=-0.123；95%CI：-0.159；-0.088）、焦虑（SMD=-0.121；95%CI：-0.151；-0.092）、恐怖症（SMD=-0.124；95%CI：-0.166；-0.081）、偏执观念（SMD=-0.040；95%CI：-0.070；-0.009）和精神病性（SMD=-0.119；95%CI：-0.148；-0.089）方面的得分较低。研究发表年份与两组间心理健康状况的差异显著相关（P=0.015）。
与二孩家庭的儿童和青少年相比，一孩家庭的儿童和青少年心理健康状况更好。未来的研究应调查导致这种心理健康差异的潜在因素，以及可能解决这些心理健康问题的干预措施。
