Motivations for having children during periods of economic uncertainty: The mediating role of life satisfaction and psychological well-being

In this study, the relationship between financial anxiety, psychological well-being and life satisfaction of motivations of individuals between the ages of 18-49 to have children was examined. In the study where quantitative method is used, there are 856 participants determined by appropriate sampling. The 'Motivations to Have a Child Scale', the 'Material Anxiety Scale', the 'Psychological Well-Being Scale', the 'Life Satisfaction Scale' and the 'Personal Information Form' were used as data collection tools. According to the findings, motivations for having children, financial anxiety, psychological well-being and life satisfaction levels; there are significant differences according to the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the participants. In addition, motivation to have a child; a positive relationship was found with psychological well-being and life satisfaction, and a negative relationship with material anxiety. Negative motivation to have children is positively related to material anxiety and negatively related to psychological well-being and life satisfaction. As material anxiety increases, psychological well-being and life satisfaction decrease. It is seen that life satisfaction and psychological well-being play a mediating role in the direct effect of financial anxiety on the motivation to have children. All the findings show that economic and psychological factors play an important role in the profit of having children.