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This study aims to explore various factors influencing childbearing intentions among Iranian women.

February 12, 2026Open Access

Determinants of childbearing intention among Iranian women: Integrating psychological, demographic, and socioeconomic factors

Key Points

This study aims to explore various factors influencing childbearing intentions among Iranian women.
Cross-sectional design surveying 450 reproductive-age women in Tabriz, Iran.
Data collected via self-administered questionnaires assessing various psychological and demographic factors.
Statistical analysis conducted using SPSS v24, including logistic regression to identify predictors.
Only 34.2% of participants intended to have children.
Positive attitudes, subjective norms, social support, hope, and religious beliefs were positively associated with childbearing intention.
Negative associations were found for pregnancy anxiety, women over 40 years, and poor financial status.

Abstract

Background: Over the past three decades, Iran’s fertility rate has declined sharply from 6.5 to 1.7, posing a critical demographic and public health challenge, a global trend that highlights the need to tackle multifaceted influences on childbearing intentions, including economic, social, emotional, and attitudinal factors. This study examined the factors influencing childbearing intentions among women. Design and Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 450 reproductive-age women in Tabriz, Iran. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires to assess sociodemographic/obstetric characteristics, attitudes toward fertility/childbearing, subjective norms, marital satisfaction, perceived social support, childbearing/parental anxiety, and hope. Data were analyzed with SPSS v24 via descriptive statistics, chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests, independent t -tests, and hierarchical multiple logistic regression to identify predictors of childbearing intention. Results: Only 34.2% (95% CI: 29.8–38.8) of participants intended to have children. Adjusted logistic regression identified positive associations with childbearing intention for positive attitudes (OR = 1.113, 95% CI: 1.057–1.172), subjective norms (OR = 1.458, 95% CI: 1.292–1.646), social support (OR = 1.093, 95% CI: 1.020–1.172), hope (OR = 1.165, 95% CI: 1.043–1.172), and religious beliefs (OR = 12.789, 95% CI: 1.029–158.990); conversely, negative associations for pregnancy/childbirth anxiety (OR = 0.633, 95% CI: 0.422–0.949), age > 40 years (OR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.000–0.279), and poor financial status (OR = 0.007, 95% CI: 0.000–0.347). Conclusion: The findings highlight the multifaceted economic, social, emotional, and attitudinal influences on childbearing intentions among Iranian women. To promote fertility rates, targeted public health strategies are recommended, including counseling for emotional barriers, economic supports like infertility subsidies and family incentives, and community-based education on reproductive health benefits.

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Cite This Study

Rahbar-Zeraati et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698d6d795be6419ac0d525da https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/22799036251410258

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