Causal explanations for lack of pregnancy applying the common sense model of illness representation to the fertility context

Koert, Emily, Harrison, China, Bunting, Laura, Gladwyn-Khan, Misbah and Boivin, Jacky ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9498-1708 2018. Causal explanations for lack of pregnancy applying the common sense model of illness representation to the fertility context. Psychology and Health 33 , pp. 1284-1301. 10.1080/08870446.2018.1494831

Preview

PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (464kB) | Preview

Abstract

Objectives: The current study explored causal explanations for lack of pregnancy and association with help-seeking behaviour. Differences based on gender and country Human Development Index were examined. Design: A mixed method design was used. Main outcome measures: Data were drawn from the International Fertility Decision-Making Study, a cross-sectional study of 10,045 individuals (1690 men; 8355 women) from 79 countries. Respondents rated to what extent they believed their lack of pregnancy was due to something they or their partner had done/not done or other factors and described their reasons for making this rating. Results: Respondents were aged 18–50 (M = 31.83) years, partnered and had been trying to achieve a pregnancy/father a child for over six months (M = 2.8 years). Men and women primarily believed their lack of pregnancy was due to medical problems or chance/bad luck. Thematic analysis of textual responses from 29.7% of the sample found that respondents focused on their personal experience or a salient life event when describing the cause of their lack of pregnancy. Women expressed more regret and helplessness about causes than men. Significant country differences were observed. Conclusions: Individuals may develop inaccurate causal explanations based on their personal experiences. Access to accurate information is necessary to facilitate timely help-seeking.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
ISSN:	0887-0446
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	2 July 2018
Date of Acceptance:	26 June 2018
Last Modified:	20 Nov 2024 03:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/112908

Citation Data

Cited 5 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item