The correlation between marital satisfaction and childbearing characteristics in women in Tehran

Pregnancy and childbearing can change the relationship between a couple and their degree of marital satisfaction.

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of women's childbearing characteristics, including age at marriage, childbearing age, the interval between marriage and the birth of the first child, the number of children, age differences between children and children's gender composition (only sons, only daughters or both sons and daughters) on marital satisfaction in women of childbearing age in Tehran.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 213 married females aged 15-45 years presenting to health centers in Tehran in 2016. The demographic questionnaire, the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale and a devised questionnaire on childbearing were used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed with SPSS-17 using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and Pearson's correlation test, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the stepwise regression test.

According to the stepwise regression test, of all the factors associated with marital satisfaction, the number of children showed the highest correlation with marital satisfaction (p < 0.001, r = -0.22). In those with three children, the age difference between the second and third children had the highest correlation with marital satisfaction (p < 0.001, r = -0.5). The variables of age at first childbirth (r = 0.18) and children's gender composition were also significantly related to marital satisfaction (p < 0.005).

The findings suggest that of all the factors associated with marital satisfaction, the number and spacing of children affect marital satisfaction.