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Background <p>Declining fertility rates are a global public health concern, influenced by psychosocial and spiritual factors. Spiritual well-being, including religious and existential dimensions, may be associated with women’s reproductive attitudes and desire for children. This study examined these relationships using three structural models.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted among 180 women of reproductive age. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires assessing spiritual well-being (religious and existential dimensions), attitudes toward childbearing (including perceived importance, barriers, postponement to the future, and social identity), and the desire for children. Relationships were analyzed using Pearson correlations and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) across three models: Model 1 included all hypothesized paths, Model 2 examined pathways with p-values below 0.10, and Model 3 retained only statistically significant predictors.</p> Results <p>Across all models, existential well-being was consistently positively associated with the importance of childbearing and desire for children, and negatively associated with perceived barriers or postponement. In the final reduced model (Model 3), existential well-being showed both direct (β = 0.273, <i>p</i> = 0.001) and indirect effects through reproductive attitudes (total effect β = 0.480, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Importance of childbearing remained the strongest direct predictor of fertility desire (β = 0.351, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Model 3 explained 42.3% of variance in reproductive desire (R² = 0.423). Religious well-being showed marginal or non-significant effects in all models.</p> Conclusion <p>Existential aspects of spiritual well-being are strongly associated with women’s reproductive attitudes and fertility desire, primarily via positive attitudes toward childbearing and reduced perception of obstacles. Interventions aimed at strengthening existential well-being may enhance women’s readiness and desire for childbearing, with implications for reproductive health promotion and population policy planning, offering new insights into how existential well-being integrates into reproductive decision-making frameworks.</p>

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Associations between spiritual well-being reproductive attitudes and fertility desire in Iranian women

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月10日

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  • Fatemeh Moghaddam,
  • Omid Torabi,
  • Alireza Norouzi,
  • Zahra Taheri-Kharameh

摘要

Background

Declining fertility rates are a global public health concern, influenced by psychosocial and spiritual factors. Spiritual well-being, including religious and existential dimensions, may be associated with women’s reproductive attitudes and desire for children. This study examined these relationships using three structural models.

Methods

A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted among 180 women of reproductive age. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires assessing spiritual well-being (religious and existential dimensions), attitudes toward childbearing (including perceived importance, barriers, postponement to the future, and social identity), and the desire for children. Relationships were analyzed using Pearson correlations and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) across three models: Model 1 included all hypothesized paths, Model 2 examined pathways with p-values below 0.10, and Model 3 retained only statistically significant predictors.

Results

Across all models, existential well-being was consistently positively associated with the importance of childbearing and desire for children, and negatively associated with perceived barriers or postponement. In the final reduced model (Model 3), existential well-being showed both direct (β = 0.273, p = 0.001) and indirect effects through reproductive attitudes (total effect β = 0.480, p < 0.001). Importance of childbearing remained the strongest direct predictor of fertility desire (β = 0.351, p < 0.001). Model 3 explained 42.3% of variance in reproductive desire (R² = 0.423). Religious well-being showed marginal or non-significant effects in all models.

Conclusion

Existential aspects of spiritual well-being are strongly associated with women’s reproductive attitudes and fertility desire, primarily via positive attitudes toward childbearing and reduced perception of obstacles. Interventions aimed at strengthening existential well-being may enhance women’s readiness and desire for childbearing, with implications for reproductive health promotion and population policy planning, offering new insights into how existential well-being integrates into reproductive decision-making frameworks.