Explain the Two-Way Relationship between Feeling Lonely and Having a Childlike Attitude Research Based on the Structural Equation Regression Model

Today, preventing or relieving loneliness is one of the basic human needs. On the other hand, the emergence of certain needs motivates people to have children, because the child is considered as a factor that leads to a change in the social relations between their parents, which in turn reduces the feeling of loneliness. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to explain the two-way relationship between feelings of loneliness and attitudes toward childbearing. This study is a social survey and the statistical population of the study is all citizens living in Tehran. The sample size is estimated at 550 people based on the sample power sample software, and the respondents were randomly surveyed in each geographical area based on the demographic characteristics of the population of Tehran. The results of the present study indicate the inverse and significant relationship between loneliness and attitude towards childbearing. In other words, people feel less lonely and have a more positive attitude toward having children. Conversely, people with a positive attitude toward childbearing feel less lonely. This two-way relationship, in addition to being confirmed by Pearson correlation coefficient, was also confirmed in the structural equation model, and the output results of the structural equation return model indicate the interaction or reciprocal effect of the two variables.