Comparative research on the influence of incidental exposure to negative fertility-related information on Chinese nulliparous women's fertility intention.

Hongkun Wang, Zonghai Chen, Qiaolei Jiang

Abstract readComparative Study

In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Hongkun WangSchool of Media and Communication, Shenzhen University (Canghai Campus), Zhiyi Building, Nanhai Avenue No.3688, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China.

Zonghai ChenSchool of New Media and Communication, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, China.

Qiaolei JiangSchool of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Omnicom Building, 30 Shuangqing Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, China. qiaoleijiang@tsinghua.edu.cn.

Funding

National Social Science Fund of China 20BXW127Tsinghua Lab Research Program on Computational Communication and Intelligent Media 2026TSJCLAB001

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examines the impact of incidental exposure to negative fertility-related information from personal narratives on the fertility intentions of Chinese unmarried and married women, deploying the Theory of Planned Behavior to explain the subsequent information-processing mechanism. Utilizing data from two group-based surveys (N = 913), results show that incidental exposure to negative fertility-related information significantly reduces fertility intentions in both groups, while the mechanisms differ. For unmarried women, fertility intentions are primarily influenced by perceived internal behavioral control, while for married women, perceived external behavioral control is more significant. This research advances the understanding of health-related information acquisition and processing in the social media environment and offers insights for public policy aimed at addressing the low fertility rate in China and globally.

Indexed as

FertilityIntentionParityAdultChinaEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMedia ExposureSocial MediaSurveys and QuestionnairesTheory of Planned BehaviorYoung AdultHealth information acquisitionIncidental exposureInformation processingSocial mediaThe Theory of Planned Behavior

Identifiers

PMID42103945

DOI10.1038/s41598-026-52339-4

PMCPMC13342657

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.