Psychological conditions of the desire to have children and its fulfillment (empirical report)
Geissler, A.
Zeitschrift für die Gesamte Hygiene und ihre Grenzgebiete 27(7): 522-525
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0049-8610 PMID: 7281804 Document Number: 397045
To elucidate the question whether psychological factors play a role in the realization of reproductive goals a prospective study of 306 women and 304 men of the married population of Rostock was done. In 1970 this group was questioned about their expected number of children followed in 1978 by a survey of the same group on the attained number of children. The categories fulfilled, nonfulfilled, overfulfilled number of children were considered as criteria for family planning behavior. From a concurrent personality test of this group an "average personality" profile was constructed. A Q-factor analysis of the findings shows correlation between 9 personality characteristics and successful or unsuccessful family planning. Successful family planning through fulfilled desire of children was characterized by stable personality characteristics: minimal anxiety of psychasthenia, steady concept of social responsibility, less depressive tendencies, more feminine women, less masculine men, and higher intelligence and neuroticism in men. Unsuccessful family planning (nonfulfillment, overfulfillment) was characterized by less intelligence, more anxiety, psychasthenia, depression, less social stability, and more extraversion for men. Interpersonal relations (social interaction, dominance, adaption, satisfaction) between couples were found to play a role also. From this study it was concluded that psychological factors should be considered in family planning assistance by health, social and educational institutions. More attention should be paid to adequate counseling in cases of unfulfilled desire for children. Family planning counseling should be coordinated with the family's desire for the number of children and should consider the couple (rather than the individual woman or man) as basis for this planning.