Perception of parenthood among young adults: A cross-sectional study in Turkey

The first aim was to reveal whether the perception of being a parent changes according to gender or not and whether the perception of being a parent is predicted by the variables of attachment and empathy. The sample group for this study, which was selected using the purposeful sampling method, consists of 447 single young adults studying at a university in Turkey. The perception about being a parent was examined with the Perception of Parenting Inventory, attachment styles with the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale, empathy with the Basic Empathy Scale, and demographic information was obtained with a Personal Information Form. Designed with the descriptive method, this study employed the t test for independent samples and hierarchical regression analysis for statistical analysis. In this study, no difference was found in the perception of being a parent by gender. The perception of being a parent among single young adults was predicted by the emotional and cognitive dimension of empathy and the state of attachment-related anxiety; no significant prediction was found for attachment-related avoidance. The lack of significance for gender can be explained by the fact that egalitarian relations have become more prominent within the changing social structure and the diminishing effects of the sexist perspective in Turkish society.