Research Article Nursing and Palliative Care Nurs Palliat Care, 2016 doi: 10.15761/NPC.1000105 Volume 1(1): 20-26 Te trial to assess the accepted model of family in a group of polish women Andrzej Brodziak 1,2 *, Alicja Różyk-Myrta 2 , Barbara Białkowska 2 and Estera Kołat 2 1 Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Sosnowiec, Poland 2 Institute of Nursing, State Higher School of Applied Sciences, Nysa, Poland Abstract Introduction: Te authors in their subsequent study on the causes of the fall in the birth rate, based on data obtained by means of questionnaires attempt to verify their next hypotheses, concerning low fertility, observed in most European countries. Material and methods: Data were collected by means of a set of open questions concerning the preferred model of family, and then the characteristic types of responses were identifed. Results: Te results led the authors to conclude that young people in Poland are not convinced of the benefts from any specifc pattern of the family. Te various possible arguments against having children or against having two children discourage easily young couples. Conclusions: Te authors think that today there is no “source” of message convincing young people of the proper model of the family in Poland. Teoretically, desirable model of the family (parents + 2 children) is not convincingly promoted by any sources such as parents, school, neighbors or media. Correspondence to: Prof. Andrzej Brodziak, M.D. Ph.D., Institute of Nursing, State Higher School of Applied Sciences, Nysa, Poland, Tel: +48605044609; 48 77 4091660; Fax: 48 77 4355244; E-mail: andrzejbrodziak@wp.pl Key words: model of family, young women, birth rate, fertility ratio Received: January 05, 2016; Accepted: January 23, 2016; Published: January 26, 2016 Introduction An important contemporary social problem in most European countries is the decline in the number of births. Te consequences of falling birth rates are already felt by all citizens. We realize that as a result of so-called demographic crisis the numerous schools were closed, the number of candidates for study decreases and the age of retirement are extended. By reason of the aging population the amount of pensions diminishes and the society has to spend a lot of efort to care for the elderly. We devoted same our recent paper to the problem of reasons of the decline in the birth rate [1-3]. Reasons of the decline in birth rate are not fully understood. Terefore we presented recently a trial of verifcation of a interdisciplinary hypothesis explaining the decrease in the number of births [1]. Tis hypothesis assumes that the decline in the number of births is the result of the mental changes that occurred in modern societies. We have enumerated in our previous paper about 40 changes of perceiving and altered attitudes [1]. We have proposed a detailed questionnaire with enable the verifcation of convictions and attitudes of a particular considered person [1]. We repeat here this questionnaire in Table 1. We checked which items of our questionnaire are approved by women who are childless and women who have one child only and women who have two or more children. We present in our former paper seven such questions for which diferences in the frequencies of responses in these subgroups of women are considerable. In order to put the detected regularities in a compact manner it should be noted that. Te key element is ofen the overwhelming desire to have a child. Te desire is infuenced by the need to get education. Terefore women recently tend to postpone the moment of getting pregnant. Tat postponement is possible due to the ability to control the time of getting pregnant by efective contraception and increasing acceptance of its use. Te same sets of attitudes reveal also men. It ofen happens that a man, because of his professional ambitions, encourages a woman to postpone pregnancy. It should be noted, however, that women are prone or not for the reasoning of the partner. Sometime, the desire to have a child or even two children is so overwhelming that the fears of the partner didn’t infuence the decision of a woman. In order to understand better the real reasons for declining birth we decided to compare the beliefs and attitudes of middle-aged women in Poland and in Czech Republic, i.e. countries, which are characterized by one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe. It is known that the average prosperity of Czech citizens is signifcantly greater. We presented the result of these comparisons in a separate paper [2]. Te consideration of the obtained data enables us to formulate the following complementary theoretical explanation of the decline in the birth rate. We assumed that it is possible to enumerate numbers of most