The decision to have a child can be perceived as indecisive, and women who experience maternal indecisiveness avoid pregnancy. However, as women age, fertility anxiety also increases. The investigators aimed to investigate the mediating role of aging anxiety in the relationship between maternal ambivalence and avoidance of pregnancy in women.
The decision to have a child can be perceived as indecisive, and women who experience maternal indecisiveness avoid pregnancy. However, as women age, fertility anxiety also increases. We aimed to investigate the mediating role of aging anxiety in the relationship between maternal ambivalence and avoidance of pregnancy in women. Data collection tools included a "Personal Information Form," "the Maternal Ambivalence Scale," "the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale," and "The Relational Aging Anxiety Scale." Regression models assessed the association between Maternal Ambivalence Scale, Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale and Relational Aging Anxiety Scale. SPSS Process v.3.4 analysis was performed to make a mediator effect assessment. It was found that the model was significant and 3% of the desire to avoid pregnancy was explained by maternal ambivalence (F=9.088; p=0.003) (n=300). Since the confidence interval (95% CI \[0.019; 0.096\]) of the indirect effect did not include "0", a mediating effect was detected. It was found that the model was significant and 17.6% of the desire to avoid pregnancy was explained by the doubts sub-dimension (F=9.477; p=0.002). Since the confidence interval (95% CI \[0.024; 0.200\]) of the indirect effect did not include "0", a mediating effect was identified. The collective affinity for older people sub-dimension had a partial mediating effect between rejection and the desire to avoid pregnancy. Results indicated that 20.5% of the total effect on the desire to avoid pregnancy was provided by the mediating effect. It was found that women's perceptions of aging caused maternal ambivalence and that this situation was effective in avoiding pregnancy.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
300
This study was conducted as descriptive research to determine the mediating role of aging anxiety in the relationship between maternal ambivalence and pregnancy avoidance in women.
Gaziantep University
Gaziantep, Turkey (Türkiye)
"the Maternal Ambivalence Scale"
The study sample consisted of 300 women. Their written and verbal consent was obtained. The Maternal Ambivalence Scale: The scale has 14 four-point Likert-type items, each of which is scored between 1 and 4. The minimum total score that can be obtained from the scale is 14, and the maximum is 56. An increase in the total score indicates a high level of maternal ambivalence. The scale has three sub-dimensions.
Time frame: 3 MONTHS
The Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale
The Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale: The five-point Likert-type items on the scale are scored using the following options: "0= strongly agree" and "4= strongly disagree. Scores on the scale range from 0/14=0 to 56/14=4. A high score obtained from the scale indicates an increase in the desire to avoid pregnancy, while a low score shows a decrease in this respect.
Time frame: 3 months
The Relational Aging Anxiety Scale
The Relational Aging Anxiety Scale: Items are scored on a five-point Likert-type scale from (1) strongly agree to (5) strongly disagree. The scale consists of three sub-dimensions. The scale does not have a total score.
Time frame: 3 months
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