Growing up with siblings makes you less likely to get divorced in later life, study finds

Growing up with siblings means you’re less likely to get divorced later in life, a study shows.

Researchers found that having siblings significantly reduced the chances of your marriage failing.

For each additional sibling, the likelihood of divorce dropped by up to 11 percent.

Experts believe that a childhood surrounded by a large family sharpens our social skills from an early age, making us more resilient and better able to deal with ups and downs in relationships as we get older.

More than 100,000 marriages each year end in divorce in the UK.

It is estimated that nearly half break up completely at some point, although the actual divorce rate is lower than in the 1970s, mainly because more couples are choosing to live together but not marry.

Researchers from the Department of Sociology at Ohio State University in the US analyzed thousands of marriages in China and linked the divorce rate to family size.

More than 90 percent of the couples surveyed were born before China’s one-child policy took effect in 1978.

In a report on their findings, published in the Journal of Family Issues, the researchers said, “One explanation is that siblings provide ‘practice partners’ during childhood, sharpening social skills that help sustain long-term relationships.”

Sibling relationships are often intimate and filled with both positive and negative emotions.

“They provide a unique opportunity to develop the ability to understand other people’s emotions, manage anger and resolve conflict.”

Previous studies have shown that having siblings can reduce the risk of depression, improve school grades, and increase empathy.