Pregnancy Intentions of Youth in the Era of Climate Change: A Qualitative Auto- Photography Study

Abstract

BackgroundClimate change poses a global health risk through consequences such as sea level rise, wildfires, and increased air pollution. Children born today and in the future may be disproportionately affected by climate change. As a result, many young adults are rethinking having children. The impacts of the climate crisis on the decision-making of parents is an understudied area of research. This study aims to be one of the first to explore how climate change impacts the pregnancy intentions of youth and their perspectives towards childbearing. MethodsWe conducted auto-photography and qualitative interviews. Participants were recruited using social media, and were aged 18-25, nulliparous, assigned female at birth, and were either current or previous residents of British Columbia, Canada. We asked participants to take photos that responded to the question, “Show us how climate change impacts your decision to have a family,” then complete a virtual, one-on-one interview during which photo-elicitation was employed to guide conversation about participants’ decision-making related to childbearing and climate change. We subjected all transcribed interviews to qualitative thematic analysis. ResultsWe conducted in-depth interviews with 7 participants who discussed a total of 33 photographs. Analysis of participants’ interviews and photographs identified themes of eco-anxiety, hesitancy towards having children, and a desire for systemic change. Participants experienced anxiety, grief, and loss when faced with thoughts of change associated with their environments. Climate change was a consideration for many participants in their childbearing decision making, and it was interrelated with social-environmental factors, such as cost of living. ConclusionWe aimed to identify the ways in which climate change may impact youth decisions to have a family. Responses ranged from feeling that climate change had no effect on family planning to choosing not to have children entirely because of climate change. Further research on this topic is needed in order to direct climate change policy.

“I don't want a child”: an apolitical argument in climate change trials in Switzerland

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Climate change, concern, and children: A systematic review exploring the intersection of climate change, mental health, and reproductive decision-making

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Climate anxiety, coping strategies and planning for the future in environmental degree students in the UK

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