A cross-sectional study on personality, coping strategies and quality of life of a single child and with siblings among undergraduate health profession students in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Over the years, there is an increase in the prevalence of single-child families due to the declining fertility rate, to improve socioeconomic status, and promotion of family planning policies. Studies from other countries revealed psychological issues in the single child; this study aims to determine the differences in personality, coping strategies, and quality of life (QOL) of single child and one among siblings group among undergraduate health professional students of an educational group in Tamil Nadu. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with universal sampling was used to collect data from 890 consenting undergraduate students. Instruments used were semi-structured pro forma to collect sociodemographic details, Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), Coping Strategies Inventory-Short Form, and WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, percentages, and independent t-test along with Spearman s correlation tests were used to analyze data and compare groups. Results: A total of 863 study participants data were included in the analysis. About 8.92% (n = 77) of participants were single child, and >87% were from urban background. About 47% of respondents were from medical. Single female child had higher mean extroversion scores and used problem-focused disengagement strategies than females with siblings. The number of siblings was negatively correlated with the disengagement score. No difference noticed in QOL domains between the groups. Conclusion: This study did not find any significant difference in personality dimensions, coping strategies, and QOL between single child and those with siblings. However, a positive association was observed between extroversion, engagement coping strategies, and QOL.