Psychological Aspects of Childbearing Refusal in Modern Society

Introduction. This paper studies the system of value attitudes, biographical data, and mental state of persons who consciously refuse to practice reproductive behavior on a limited sample of respondents. The individual-psychological profile of persons inclined to conscious childlessness is also considered. The authors analyze domestic and foreign studies related to the problem of “childfree”.

Objective. To identify individual-psychological characteristics of individuals who consciously take a position of refusing to give birth to children.

Materials and Methods. The following methods were used in the study: Morphological test of life values by V. F. Sopov and L. V. Karpushin (diagnosis of personal life values, DPLV); Schwartz value questionnaire; SAN (health, activity, mood) questionnaire (in Russ.); author’s questionnaire containing questions about socio-demographic data and position on childfree. Statistical processing of the data was carried out using the Kraskell-Wallis criterion.

Results. The main conclusions of this study were obtained regarding differences in activity, mood, well-being, a high degree of tolerance towards representatives of “childfree” in the study sample, the prevalence of the subculture among “childless” students and people without a regular income and artificial inertia of “childfree”. The supporters of this movement have their own opinions, views and beliefs that differ from those of people raising a child who are not supporters of “childfree”. Orientation to constructive relationships, realization of social roles and expansion of interpersonal ties are the main needs of child-rearing subjects.

Discussion. The analysis of the results of the empirical study allows us to talk about the degree of readiness to create a family in Russian society, the attitude to the problem of consciously choosing a socio-psychological status related to childlessness, the amount of income of the discussed categories of citizens, as well as the degree of their involvement in labor and educational spheres of activity. It was revealed that those who have children are more active, they also have higher indices of well-being and mood. Those who are adherents of the “Childfree” movement have pronounced scales of “hedonism” and “egoism”. There appeared the data allowing to assert that this reproductive current has an artificial character of spreading. The results of the study of the socio-psychological phenomenon of “childlessness” contribute to the further development of the problem under consideration, including the ability to formulate a mechanism of state regulation in this area.

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