Fertility and Childbearing Attitudes of Young Girls in Reproductive Age

• Published in: Archives of health science and research Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 231 - 236
• Main Authors: Akyazi, Elif, Alioglu, Fatma, Ulualan, Nazife, Aktar, Sevgi, Guneri, Sezer E.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: AVES 01.10.2023
• Subjects: Teenagers; Youth
• ISSN: 2687-6442; 2687-6442; 2687-4644
• DOI: 10.5152/ArcHealthSciRes.2023.23062

Objective: The study aimed to determine the fertility and childbearing attitudes of young girls in reproductive age and the related factors. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out with 322 young girls studying at the university. The data were collected using the "Individual Identification Form" and the "Attitudes Toward Fertility and Childbearing Scale" by face-to-face interviews. Results: It was found that the mean age of the young girls is 20.93 [+ or -] 1.66, 87.0% have a nuclear family. The age group they want to have their first child in was determined as 20-29 years old in 75.8% and 57.8% of them want to have 2 children. The scale subdimensions mean scores calculated that "Future Importance" was 23.26 [+ or -] 5.73, "Current Obstacles" was 32.32 [+ or -] 6.49, and "Female Identity" was 13.70 [+ or -] 4.23. It was determined that the mean scale scores were significantly affected by the working status of the mother, the place and region of residence for the longest time, the education level of the father, the age at which the first child was desired, and the number of children desired to have (P < .05). Conclusion: Young girls' attitudes toward importance in the future and current obstacle to fertility and childbearing were high, while femininity identity attitudes were moderate, and some sociodemographic factors affected these attitudes. It is thought that determining the attitudes of young people on this issue will guide the formation of foresight about the future population structure and the creation of plans for the country. Keywords: Fertility, childbearing, attitude