Purpose
To identify the childbearing intentions of young adults in South Korea and examine the factors influencing them using a social-ecological model (SEM).
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Unmarried employed men and women (n=181) aged 25–40 years completed an online survey. The data included socio-demographic characteristics and responses at four levels: (1) intrapersonal (perception of parenthood and fertility knowledge), (2) interpersonal (quality of family relationships), (3) institutional (work-family culture), and (4) community and public policy (adequacy of government policies and social support systems). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple logistic regression.
Results
Approximately 77% of the participants planned to have children, and more than 60% wanted to have two or more children. Among the four levels of SEM, only intrapersonal factors, including intention to marry, fertility knowledge, and attitudes toward parenthood, were statistically significant in influencing childbearing intentions. The model explaining the intention to have a child demonstrated an explanatory power of 59.6%, incorporating factors such as marital intention, perceptions of parenthood, and fertility knowledge.
Conclusion
A noticeable gap exists between childbearing intentions and childbirth in South Korea. These findings provide insights into the nursing educational content needed for delivering family planning education to young adults. Targeted interventions such as counseling services and community education should be integrated into nursing practice. Moreover, nursing curricula should discuss factors influencing childbearing intentions to equip future nurses better to support young adults' family planning decisions.

Citations

• Factors Influencing Childbearing Intentions in the Context of Declining Global Fertility Rates: A Scoping Review
  Alireza Razzaghi, Saeideh Salari, Rasoul Raesi, Kiavash Hushmandi, Salman Daneshi
  The Open Public Health Journal.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Parental Knowledge of Malocclusion and Attitudes Toward Early Orthodontic Treatment: A Survey-Based Study
  Deokgi Kim, Hyelim Lee, Jiyoung Ra
  THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN ACADEMY OF PEDTATRIC DEN.2026; 53(2): 189.     CrossRef
• Exploring Public Perceptions of Korea’s Low Fertility Crisis: A Q Methodological Approach
  Sang-Hyeon Ju, Sang-Yup Lee, Young-Chool Choi, Seong-Ho Yoon, Sang-Geun Kim, Gyutae Lee
  Population Research and Policy Review.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef

Purpose
This study presents a translation, cultural adaptation, and psychometric evaluation of two instruments of the Fertility Awareness and Attitudes Towards Parenthood (FAAP) questionnaire (Conditions and Life changes) for use in South Korea.
Methods
This methodological study included 166 university students for psychometric evaluation in the sixth step. The first five steps included forward translation, backward translation, committee review, assessment of content validity, and a pre-test. In the sixth step, psychometric properties, including internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion validity, were evaluated. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to identify the structure of the tool and to assess its validity.
Results
The Korean version showed acceptable internal consistency. Cronbach's ⍺ was .73 for FAAPC-conditions and .83 for FAAP-Life changes. FAAP-Conditions showed a four-factor structure (social conditions, relationship with partner, external environment, and child-rearing support) and FAAP-Life changes had a two-factor structure (reward and burden). In the confirmatory analysis, CMIN/DF, TLI, IFI, SRMR, CFI, and RMSEA were satisfactory.
Conclusion
This study provided preliminary evidence of the acceptability, reliability, and validity of the Korean version of the FAAP questionnaire in university students in South Korea. Nonetheless, further evaluation among Korean young adults is warranted to validate this instrument.

Purpose
This study investigated intentions and attitudes towards future parenthood and awareness of fertility among university students in South Korea.
Methods
The participants comprised 166 female and male undergraduate students enrolled at five universities. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May to July 2019 using the Korean version of the Fertility Awareness Questionnaire and Attitudes of Parenthood. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics based on participants' general characteristics, the x² test to identify differences in intentions, and the t-test to evaluate attitudes towards parenthood and awareness of fertility in female and male students.
Results
Both female and male students desired to have two children, but they lacked awareness about fertility. The possibility of combining work and having children, along with the availability of childcare resources, impacted the desire for parenthood. Male students tended to consider parenthood as less impactful on their lives and careers than female students. Social structures might also impact the decision to have children.
Conclusion
It is important to provide health education emphasizing fertility awareness and parenthood in young adulthood so participants can consider these facts in advance. In addition, the government should provide resources for couples making parenthood decisions.

Citations

• Improving access to fertility treatment in Asia Pacific: consensus from an expert forum
  Marinella Agnes G. Abat, Hannah Armstrong, Mei-Jou Chen, Human Fatemi, Ho Sy Hung, Koji Nakagawa, Navdeep Singh Pannu, Angelina Petrova, Michele Pistollato, Kamthorn Pruksananonda, Jung Ryeol Lee, Tze Tein Yong
  Frontiers in Reproductive Health.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Fertility awareness among Chinese university students: scale development and cross-sectional study
  Changmin Niu, Xueyu Lu, Yue Ren, Fan Yang, Shikun Ma, Yawen Yu, Yuxin Gao, Nuo Shen, Jinhua Shu
  Frontiers in Public Health.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Infertility perceptions and associated factors among Korean undergraduate students: a cross-sectional study
  Miok Kim, Hyeon Sik Chu, Su Jeong Yi
  Frontiers in Public Health.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Childbearing intentions and influencing factors among single young adults in South Korea: a cross-sectional study
  Hyewon Shin, Anna Lee, Sunyeob Choi, Minjeong Jo
  Child Health Nursing Research.2025; 31(1): 15.     CrossRef
• Does perceived gender conflict shape young Koreans' attitudes toward marriage and childbearing?
  Min‐Ah Lee, Rira Song, Juyeon Park
  Journal of Marriage and Family.2025; 87(4): 1816.     CrossRef
• Fertility Awareness and Parenthood Intentions Among Physicians in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
  Tahani Shar, Fatima Bakheit
  Cureus.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Factors influencing childbirth intention and the moderating role of values regarding children among nursing students in Korea: a cross-sectional study
  Yunmi Kim, Seryeong Kim
  Women's Health Nursing.2025; 31(3): 268.     CrossRef
• Women’s Attitudes Toward Fertility and Childbearing: A National Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia
  Deemah Ateeq AlAteeq, Ebtihag O. Alenzi, Reema Abdulrahman Alamri, Abeer Abdulkarim Aloraini, Dimah Saif Alassaf, Nujud Ibrahim Almutlaq, Shatha Saleh Aloglla, Albatool Abdullah Almajhad, Rana Hussain Jahhaf
  Healthcare.2025; 13(20): 2616.     CrossRef
• Gender equity and sustainable development through the lens of fertility intentions among highly educated women: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  Ruobing Mei, Minghui Tan, Mengyun Liu, Leesa Lin
  BMC Public Health.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Parenthood intentions of 16–18-year-olds in England: a survey of school students
  Rina Biswakarma, Katherine Maslowski, Michael J. Reiss, Joyce C. Harper
  Human Fertility.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Assessment of Reproductive Health Knowledge Among College Students in Northwestern India: A Cross-Sectional Study
  Shilpa Dutta, Akash More, Sanket Mahajan, Neha Nawale, Namrata Choudhary, Deepti Shrivastava
  Cureus.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Gender differences in willingness for childbirth, fertility knowledge, and value of motherhood or fatherhood and their associations among college students in South Korea, 2021
  Hae Won Kim, Seo Yun Kim
  Archives of Public Health.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• University students’ fertility awareness and its influencing factors: a systematic review
  Yue Ren, Yue Xie, Qulian Xu, Miaochen Long, Ying Zheng, Lin Li, Changmin Niu
  Reproductive Health.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• The role of the Coronavirus pandemic on childbearing intentions in Iranian women based on path analysis: A cross-sectional study
  Mojdeh Banaei, Nourossadat Kariman, Hamid Sharif Nia, Tahereh Mokhtarian-Gilani
  International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine .2023; 21(1): 43.     CrossRef
• Translation and psychometric evaluation of the Korean version of the fertility awareness and attitudes towards parenthood questionnaire
  Hyewon Shin, Minjoo Hong, Minjeong Jo, Jungmin Lee
  Child Health Nursing Research.2021; 27(3): 256.     CrossRef