Parental regret in a population-based sample: associations with contextual, child- related, and psychosocial factors

Although surveys suggest that 5–15% of parents report regret about having children, parental regret remains a taboo topic and has received surprisingly little scientific attention. Research from related fields suggests that adverse contextual factors, child-related difficulties, or psychological strain may increase the likelihood of regret. However, most existing studies rely on small or selective samples. Consequently, little is known about which factors are most strongly associated with parental regret in the general population. This study is among the first to examine a broad range of contextual, child-related, and psychosocial predictors of parental regret in a large, representative sample from Germany. We used data from the pairfam study, a large nationally representative panel survey inGermany. In 2019/20, participants were asked whether they regretted becoming parents. Using logistic regression, we examined predictors of parental regret across seven clusters: (1) sociodemographic factors, (2) stressful life events, (3) interpersonal factors, (4) pregnancy and childbirth experiences, (5) child-related factors, (6) factors related to parental role experiences, and (7) psychosocial factors and personality traits. Additionally, we tested whether associations differed by parental sex, child age, and living arrangements.In line with prior findings from other countries, 11% of parents reported parental regret. Parental regret was primarily associated with contextual factors, such as lower education, lower partner support, and previous abortion experiences; with child-related factors, such as a higher age and number of children; and with individual factors, such as higher depressiveness and lower parental self-efficacy. Our findings underscore the multifactorial nature of parental regret and point to several levers for prevention and support. Strengthening structural resources for socioeconomically disadvantaged families, enhancing couple relationship quality, expanding access to comprehensive family planning counseling, and promoting parental efficacy and competencies may help reduce the likelihood and potentially adverse impact of parental regret.