خلاصة:
Statistics indicate a decline in fertility rates below the replacement level. Alongside this decreasing trend, we are witnessing an increase in the proportion of single-child families. This change in family structure and the reduction in the number of children leads to changes in internal family relationships and the lifestyle of only children, which, as a social phenomenon, must be studied accurately. Existing studies have focused more on quantitative explanations of changing fertility behavior, and the meaning of these behaviors is less well known. Also, few studies that have been conducted on only children have presuppositions about 'why'; it is very important to identify the 'nature' of being an only child. This research adopts a phenomenological approach to describe the lived experience of only children residing in Tehran. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with twenty female only children over 18 years of age using purposeful sampling and analyzed using Smith's six-stage technique. Twelve themes were extracted from the data analysis. These themes include: governance in the family, regretting another situation, excessive expectations, loneliness: it's just you and yourself, the need for family support, seeking compensation, credible connection, weakness in emotional relationships, destructive worries, parental upbringing, self-regulation and facing stereotypes. The findings of this study were able to provide a clear picture of the experience of being an only child. In a general conclusion, the lived experience of actors shows that only children are usually different in terms of life skills and individual abilities, and this difference often manifests itself as excess or deficiency. However, it should be noted that only children, due to the lack of conflicting interests, usually enjoy more facilities and welfare, which itself causes the emergence of some of the aforementioned specific themes.
ملخص الجهاز:
The Lived Experience of Only Children from Being an Only Child: A Study of Girls Over 18 Years Old Javad Shojaei 1*, Bejat Yazdkasti 2 Abstract Statistics indicate a decline in the fertility rate to below replacement level.
These themes include: Governance in the family, Regret for another position, Excessive expectations, Loneliness: It's just you and yourself, Need for family support, Seeking compensation, Credential bond, Weakness in emotional relationships, Destructive anxieties, Parental upbringing, Self-regulation and confronting stereotypical beliefs.
This type of only child was not the dominant pattern of childbearing, but fertility was at a very high level and most families had a large number of children, some of whom lost their lives due to high mortality rates.
[19], Ershadi [5], Al-Yasin and Faridoni [3], and Mirghafourian [35] shows a significant difference between the two groups of only children and multi-children in terms of some behavioral problems, but the study by Vahabi [36], Danesh Nia [14], Qaleh Barkhor Dari [18], Hashem Bigi and Sarvaghd [37], Irani [6], Ebrahimi [4], Al Mansour et al.
” Gilaeil also says in this regard: Until a certain age, I always had the feeling that I didn’t need a sister or brother, but now, from an emotional point of view, I say it would have been good to experience it.
” Mina expresses her experience as follows: My friends are like sisters or brothers; that is, a real sister or brother, not someone who just says they are like my sister, that sister who really feels it and has grown up with her since childhood, and her child is like my niece.
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