The Effect of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Reproductive Intention in Women of Childbearing Age: A Cross-Sectional Survey

<i>Background</i>: With the aggravation of China's aging population, China's population structure has undergone great changes, China's fertility rate and birth rate decline has always been a concern of the government, and mental health issues are an important part of creating a healthy birth atmosphere. <i>Objective</i>: To investigate whether the level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects the reproductive intention of women of reproductive age, and to analyze the influencing factors of reproductive intention of women. <i>Methods</i>: This study was a cross-sectional survey design, using convenience sampling method to survey women of childbearing age who were followed up in the postpartum outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital from August 2023 to March 2024, and the survey instrument included a general information questionnaire, a questionnaire on the willingness to reproduce, and an impact of event scale- Revised, which was statistically analyzed using SPSS 27.0, and a binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of reproduction intention, and P<0.05 was taken as statistically different. <i>Results</i>: Reproduction intention of women of childbearing age accounted for 42.9%, and age, education, residence, and PTSD were independent influencing factors of reproduction intention of women of childbearing age. <i>Conclusion</i>: The research results show that age, education level, place of residence and PTSD are independent factors influencing women's willingness to have children again. The higher the level of PTSD, the lower the willingness to have children again. Therefore, attention should be paid to women's postpartum mental health problems, and more family and social support should be provided to improve their mental health status, so as to enhance the level of willingness to have children again.