The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective This study aims to examine the relationships between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. Materials and methods This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2025 and March 2025. Data were collected via the “Pe...

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Main Authors: Zümrüt Bilgin, İrem Özten Dalkıran, Esra Sarı, Khaled Trabelsi, Waqar Husain, Achraf Ammar, Haitham Jahrami
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-08-01
Series:BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07956-8
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author Zümrüt Bilgin
İrem Özten Dalkıran
Esra Sarı
Khaled Trabelsi
Waqar Husain
Achraf Ammar
Haitham Jahrami
author_facet Zümrüt Bilgin
İrem Özten Dalkıran
Esra Sarı
Khaled Trabelsi
Waqar Husain
Achraf Ammar
Haitham Jahrami
author_sort Zümrüt Bilgin
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective This study aims to examine the relationships between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. Materials and methods This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2025 and March 2025. Data were collected via the “Personal Information Form” and the “Motivations for Having Children Scale”. The data of 185 women who participated in the study were analyzed, and the statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05. Results The mean age of the women who participated in the study was 32.94 ± 7.63 years; 65.4% were university graduates, and 42.2% wanted to have children. A significant correlation was found between the desire for children and age, education level, income level, social support status and duration of marriage (p < 0.05). In the present study, 27.6% of the women had one pregnancy, 31.4% had living children, and a relationship was found between the number of pregnancies, the number of living children and the time elapsed since the last pregnancy. In this study, there was no significant difference between the total score of the Motivation to Have Children Scale and age, educational level, income level, or duration of marriage (p > 0.05), whereas a significant difference was found between employment status and spousal compatibility (p < 0.05). The mean total score of the Motivation to Have Children Scale was calculated as 92.38 ± 26.31. Conclusion According to the findings of the study, it was determined that women’s employment status and spousal adjustment affected women’s motivation to have children. In this direction, it is thought that psychosocial factors, in addition to sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, will play a critical role in determining reproductive motivations. Understanding these factors may help reproductive health professionals and policymakers develop interventions for women’s motivation to have children and support family planning efforts in different social contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-7a029b40dbbc4edbb45c328c96d4c7832025-08-20T04:02:42ZengBMCBMC Pregnancy and Childbirth1471-23932025-08-012511810.1186/s12884-025-07956-8The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional studyZümrüt Bilgin0İrem Özten Dalkıran1Esra Sarı2Khaled Trabelsi3Waqar Husain4Achraf Ammar5Haitham Jahrami6Faculty of Health Science, Department of Midwifery, Marmara UniversityEnstitute of Health Sciences, University of Health SciencesDepartment of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Science, Van Yuzuncu Yil UniversityResearch Laboratory Education, Motricité, Sport et Santé, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of SfaxDepartment of Humanities, COMSATS University IslamabadDepartment of Training and Movement Science, Institute of Sport Science, Johannes Gutenberg-University MainzDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arabian Gulf UniversityAbstract Objective This study aims to examine the relationships between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. Materials and methods This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2025 and March 2025. Data were collected via the “Personal Information Form” and the “Motivations for Having Children Scale”. The data of 185 women who participated in the study were analyzed, and the statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05. Results The mean age of the women who participated in the study was 32.94 ± 7.63 years; 65.4% were university graduates, and 42.2% wanted to have children. A significant correlation was found between the desire for children and age, education level, income level, social support status and duration of marriage (p < 0.05). In the present study, 27.6% of the women had one pregnancy, 31.4% had living children, and a relationship was found between the number of pregnancies, the number of living children and the time elapsed since the last pregnancy. In this study, there was no significant difference between the total score of the Motivation to Have Children Scale and age, educational level, income level, or duration of marriage (p > 0.05), whereas a significant difference was found between employment status and spousal compatibility (p < 0.05). The mean total score of the Motivation to Have Children Scale was calculated as 92.38 ± 26.31. Conclusion According to the findings of the study, it was determined that women’s employment status and spousal adjustment affected women’s motivation to have children. In this direction, it is thought that psychosocial factors, in addition to sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, will play a critical role in determining reproductive motivations. Understanding these factors may help reproductive health professionals and policymakers develop interventions for women’s motivation to have children and support family planning efforts in different social contexts.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07956-8ChildbearingMotivationObstetric characteristicsSociodemographic characteristics
spellingShingle Zümrüt Bilgin
İrem Özten Dalkıran
Esra Sarı
Khaled Trabelsi
Waqar Husain
Achraf Ammar
Haitham Jahrami
The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Childbearing
Motivation
Obstetric characteristics
Sociodemographic characteristics
title The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study
title_full The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study
title_fullStr The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study
title_short The relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics: a cross-sectional study
title_sort relationship between motivation for having children and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics a cross sectional study
topic Childbearing
Motivation
Obstetric characteristics
Sociodemographic characteristics
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07956-8
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