Childbearing decisions and related factors in the COVID‑19 pandemic: A narrative review study
نویسندگان
1 Department of Adult Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2 Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
3 Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
4 Department of Social Sciences, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
doi
چکیده
The COVID‑19 pandemic has had considerable consequences in many areas of life, including thesocial area and childbearing plans. The present narrative review aimed to examine the childbearingdecisions and its related factors during the COVID‑19 pandemic. This review was conducted bysearching in scientific databases, including Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus,Cochrane, PubMed, ProQuest, Scientific Information Database (SID), Iranian Research Institutefor Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) and Iranian Journal Database (Magiran) in June2022. The search resulted in 111 sources, of which 16 were in line with the research objective.Couples have mainly cancelled or delayed their previous plans related to childbearing decisions.There are two groups of direct and indirect factors related to childbearing decisions during theCOVID‑19 pandemic: The former includes (1) well‑being‑related factors such as economic conditions,interpersonal relationships and gender roles in terms of task division; and (2) health‑related factors,including health emergencies and physical and psychological health. The latter includes factors suchas social distancing and social media. Based on the results, governments should facilitate childbearingby adjusting existing policies, addressing economic insecurity and protecting the livelihoods ofthose affected by the crisis. Health policymakers and planners must also prioritize women’s accessto reproductive health services in a safe environment while promoting equity in access. It is alsonecessary to promote the quality and quantity of indirect care and virtual counseling based on theneeds of women in crisis.
