Size of family and adjustment of children.

Abstract

The relationship between family size and adjustment of children was studied in 256 Midwestern children. The Rogers test of personality adjustment was used. The children in the sample lived in rural areas and towns with populations under 10,000 in Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Family sizes ranged from 2 to 11 children. Results indicated that a small family environment does not have a detrimental effect on the children's personality development and suggested that children from smaller families might fare better psychologically than children from larger families. These findings tend to agree with those of Nye but are at variance with those reported by Bossard and Boll and by Ellis and Beechley. It is noted however, that the purpose, samples used, and methods of analysis employed in the studies were different, which makes comparisons difficult.