Depression, Contraception, and Ambivalence Concerning Fertility

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Depression is associated with higher rates of unintended pregnancies.
• Unintended pregnancies often stem from inconsistent contraceptive use.
• Understanding factors influencing contraceptive consistency is crucial for reproductive health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between depression and consistent contraceptive behavior.
• To examine the potential mediating role of ambivalence in this relationship.
• To identify factors influencing contraceptive adherence in individuals experiencing depressive moods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-sectional data from the German Relationship and Family Panel Pairfam (waves 2 and 3).
• Analyzed a sample of 190 childless individuals not attempting conception.
• Employed propensity score matching for sample comparison and operationalized ambivalence as the difference between ideal and realistic number of children.

Main Results:

• A significant negative correlation was found between depressed mood and consistent contraceptive behavior.
• Ambivalence did not significantly mediate the relationship between depressed mood and contraceptive consistency.
• A negative association was observed between ambivalence and contraceptive consistency in men only.
• No significant relationship was found between depressed mood and ambivalence.

Conclusions:

• The direct link between depressed mood and inconsistent contraceptive behavior warrants further investigation.
• Ambivalence may play a role in contraceptive consistency, particularly for men.
• Future research should incorporate measures of ambivalence to better understand contraceptive behavior patterns.