Factors Affecting the First Childbearing Decision in
Iranian Males

Factors Affecting the First Childbearing Decision in
Iranian Males

Decision making, Childbearing,
Individual indices

Introduction: Childbearing results from a productive behavior within the family arisen from
couples’ decision to have children. The role of men in making decisions about childbearing
and their intentions are often overlooked in studies.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate males’ first childbearing decision and their
contributing factors.
Materials and Methods: This was an analytical and cross-sectional study. In total, 300 married
men aged 18-45 years participated in this study. The subjects accompanied their wives
with the first pregnancy to receive prenatal care at hospitals and private health centers of
Shahroud County, Iran. They were selected randomly. The required data were collected using A
demographic form, Snyder’s Adult Hope Scale (AHS), and World Health Organization Quality of
Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. The correlation between study variables was examined by
Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Multiple Linear Regression analysis.
Results: The Mean±SD age at first childbearing decision and age at marriage in men were
28.8±3.74 and 25.59±3.68 years, respectively. Among the factors related to first childbearing
decision, age at marriage suggested the highest association (r=0.89, P=0.001). The age
at first childbearing decision also had a statistically significant relationship with marriage
duration (r=0.29, P=0.001), and education (r=0.16, P=0.001). Quality of life had a negative
significant correlation with it (r=-0.22, P=0.001). Age at marriage revealed the highest power
for predicting contributing factors. With the 10-year increase in men’s marriage age, the age
at first childbearing decision increased by 8.9 years; with the 1-point increase in quality of life
score, the age decreased by 0.09 years, if other variables remained constant.
Conclusion: Age at marriage and quality of life could affect age at first childbearing decisions
in men. The healthcare team and policymakers should facilitate childbearing conditions. This
could be achieved by providing accurate knowledge about these factors. As a result, men can
achieve the desired number of children at the right time.

Marzieh Faghani Aghoozi, Nourossadat Kariman , Sanaz Faiazi , Mona Joze Mohtashami
, Maliheh Amerian

Negah Institute for Scientific Communication

05 Juni 2023

Fajar Bagus W

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