Mediacyjna rola rodzicielskich stylów wychowawczych w związku liczby rodzeństwa z rozwojem osobowości i kompetencji społecznych w okresie wczesnej dorosłości

The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that parenting styles (especially democratic and autocratic styles) may be variables that mediate in the relationship between the number of siblings and shaping certain personality traits and social skills in children’s development. The study involved over 300 people divided into three groups: those who have one brother or sister, those who have several siblings and only children. Over 100 people were tested in each group. The following measuring tools were used: the Social Competence Questionnaire by A. Matczak, the Parenting Styles Questionnaire by M. Ryś, and the NEO-FFI questionnaire by P.T. Costa and R.R. McCrae (in Polish adaptation by B. Zawadzki, J. Strelau, P. Szczepaniak, M. Śliwinska). The impact of the number of siblings on the functioning and social competence and personality of the respondents is mediated by both democratic (positive) and autocratic (negative) attitudes of mothers (proximal mediator – close to exogenous variable, here: the number of siblings), as well as by the attitude of fathers, which is a distal (indirect) mediator, although closely related to the attitudes of mothers. Mothers’ attitudes also proved to be a mediator in the relationship between the number of siblings and the attitudes of fathers.