Date

1-14-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Brittany Littrell

Keywords

involuntary childlessness, meaning-making, religiosity, well-being, faith

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

The proportion of involuntary childless women in the United States continues to rise, with research indicating elevated risks of depression, anxiety, and diminished well-being in this population compared to their childbearing counterparts. Simultaneously, many faith communities emphasize pronatalist ideals, which may compound these psychological effects. Despite a growing body of qualitative work, quantitative research examining faith, meaning-making, and well-being among women whose childlessness extends beyond recent infertility is limited. This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationships among religiosity, meaning-making, and well-being among involuntary childless women. Participants (N = 94; M age = 44.6) completed online surveys including the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), Modified-Existential Coping Scale (M-ECS), and Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWS). Pearson’s correlation and regression analyses assessed the relationships among the variables. Results revealed statistically positive associations: religiosity was moderately correlated with meaning-making (r = .45) and weakly correlated with psychological well-being (r = .26), while meaning-making demonstrated a moderate positive relationship with well-being (r = .41) and emerged as the strongest predictor in the regression model ( = .36). Findings supported all three hypotheses, highlighting meaning-making as a central mechanism in the well-being of involuntary childless women. Implications suggest that spiritually integrated and meaning-centered interventions may foster resilience, identity reconstruction, and psychological growth, navigating involuntary childlessness.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS