The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and a Woman’s Desire to Have Children

Authors

Tayah Simpson, Dominican University of CaliforniaFollow

Files

Description

One life task for many adults, especially women, is the task of parenting. Many factors can be associated with becoming a parent, but one of the most foundational is the desire to have children.

Rholes et al (1997) concluded that regardless of attachment style, a lower desire for children was associated with more negative perceptions of parenting abilities.

Harel and Finzi-Dottan (2018) found that a history of childhood maltreatment was associated with viewing parenting as potentially threatening.

Bailey et al (2012) found that;

• emotional abuse, neglect, and witnessing family violence were associated with hostility towards future children
• a mother’s experience of physical or sexual abuse was associated with a self-perceived lack of parental competence and lower emotional availability

Given that a common human response to anything potentially unpleasant is avoidance, the desire to have children becomes diminished for children of abuse. The present study evaluates the relationship between a history of childhood maltreatment and the desire to have children in females.

Department

Psychology

Publication Date

Spring 4-2023

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

Western Psychological Association

City

Riverside, CA

Keywords

Childhood Maltreatment, Child Abuse, Parenting Desires, Trauma, Women

Disciplines

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences