Consistent Patterns Across Birth Parities? Psychological Measures and Birth Parity Transitions Among Swedish Men

Psychological factors have increasingly become important for fertility, in particular among men. Only a few studies examine the association between psychological factors and birth parity transitions. Moreover, previous studies typically measure psychological factors at the end of fertility history, i.e. when most individuals have completed their fertility trajectories. We study the prospective association between several psychological factors (leadership skills, social maturity, emotional stability) and birth parity transitions among Swedish males. We further analyze a) single partner fertility (suggesting the relevance of multipartner fertility), and b) age at first childbirth as potential mechanisms. This study makes use of high-quality Swedish register data. Information on psychological factors of males come from military conscription data, and civil registers track the fertility histories of these men up to age 39 and above. We apply linear probability and linear regression models. Findings indicate positive associations between all psychological measures and first and second birth parities. However, lower scores on all psychological factors predict higher probabilities to transition to childbirths three and four, reversing patterns from lower birth parity transitions. Further analyses suggest that multipartner fertility and age at fatherhood entry may drive these patterns.