Personality and social skill differences between adults with and without siblings

Differences in personality and social skills of 146 adults with 1 or more siblings and 51 adults without siblings were investigated to examine the importance of family structure for individual personality development. Participants completed the Social Skills Inventory (SSI; R. E. Riggio, 1989), which measures social and emotional sensitivity, expressivity, and control, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ; H. J. Eysenck & S. B. G. Eysenck, 1975), which measures the personality factors of Extraversion-Introversion, Neuroticism-Stability, and Psychoticism. Results revealed only a marginal difference between individuals with and without siblings in Neuroticism, and no differences in various social skills or overall social competence. Possible explanations for the lack of differences in social skills between adults with and without siblings are discussed.