Regret and Psychological Well-Being among Voluntarily and Involuntarily Childless Women and Mothers

Autor/inn/en	Jeffries, Sherryl; Konnert, Candace
Titel	Regret and Psychological Well-Being among Voluntarily and Involuntarily Childless Women and Mothers
Quelle	In: International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 54 (2002) 2, S.89-106 (18 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0091-4150
Schlagwörter	Researchers; Psychology; Mothers; Childlessness; Psychological Patterns; Well Being; Females; Older Adults; Attitudes + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Researcher; Forscher; Psychologie; Mother; Mutter; Kinderlosigkeit; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Weibliches Geschlecht; Älterer Erwachsener; Attitude; Einstellung; Verhalten
Abstract	This study examines regret and psychological well-being among 72 middle-aged and older women who are either voluntarily childless, involuntarily childless, or mothers. Group comparisons indicate that, when compared to involuntarily childless women, voluntarily childless women show higher levels of overall well-being, rate themselves as more autonomous with greater environmental mastery, and are less likely to have a child-related regret. An unexpected finding is that about one-third of women categorized by researchers as involuntarily childless indicate that they are "childless by choice." These women report making an active decision to accept the childless lifestyle and focus on the future, in essence exerting control over their situations. Results from this small and selective sample should be interpreted cautiously. However, they do suggest that researchers' definitions of childlessness may not map directly onto those of participants, and they emphasize the importance of ascertaining respondents' perceptions of control over their situations. (Contains 3 tables.) (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10