Exploring Psychopathology in Antinatalist and Childfree Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Fertility rates have declined in industrialized nations, and an increasing number of adults expectto remain childless. Non-parenthood includes diverse subgroups with distinct motivations andpsychosocial profiles. One under-researched subgroup is antinatalists, who view procreation asmorally wrong. This study examined psychological functioning among antinatalist, childfree,and childless individuals.This cross-sectional study recruited 492 non-parent adults from the United Kingdom viaProlific. Participants were categorized into three groups: childless (n=258; desire children orare undecided), childfree (n=199; do not desire children for personal/social/economic reasons),and antinatalist (n=35; do not desire children for moral/ethical reasons). Participants completedthe Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ),Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ),and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire–Revised (SBQ-R). Group differences were analyzedusing Kruskal-Wallis tests and quantile regression, adjusting for age, education, marital status,and ethnicity.Significant demographic differences were found between the groups in age, education level,marital status, and ethnicity. Unadjusted analyses showed that childless individuals reportedsignificantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, attachment anxiety, and search formeaning compared to childfree individuals. After adjusting for demographic covariates, mostof these group differences became non-significant. However, childfree individuals still showedsignificantly lower attachment anxiety (at the median), lower reported childhood physical abuse(at the upper quantile), and lower suicidal ideation (at the lower quantile) compared to childlessindividuals. No evidence emerged that antinatalists experienced greater psychological distressthan the other groups.After accounting for demographic factors, psychological differences among antinatalist,childfree, and childless individuals were minimal. Findings suggest that demographic factors,rather than reproductive stances alone, largely account for differences observed between non-parent groups. This challenges narratives that portray those who choose not to have children,particularly antinatalists, as psychologically maladjusted. However, differences in relativerepresentation of these categories may pose a limitation.