en بهداشت انتظامی Police Health پژوهشی اصيل Original Research <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:200%"><span cambria="" style="font-family:">Abstract</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-family:"Cambria",serif"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif">Background: Declining fertility rates in Iran have raised concerns regarding population aging and demographic sustainability. Psychological factors may be associated with reproductive attitudes; however, the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and attitudes toward fertility and childbearing has received limited attention. This study examined the association between EI and fertility and childbearing attitudes among female employees at Iran University of Medical Sciences.</span></span></span></b></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif">Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in 2025 among 197 married female employees of Iran University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using the Schering Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (Goleman version) and the Attitudes Toward Fertility and Childbearing Questionnaire. We performed Pearson correlation and simple and multiple linear regression analyses.</span></span></span></b></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif">Results: Overall EI showed a weak positive correlation with attitudes toward fertility and childbearing (r = 0.16, p = 0.025). Among the EI subscales, self-awareness (r = 0.20, p = 0.005) and empathy (r = 0.26, p = 0.001) were positively associated with fertility attitudes, whereas self-regulation, motivation, and social skills were not significantly associated. Overall EI explained 2% of the variance in fertility attitudes (R&sup2; = 0.02), while the five EI subscales collectively explained 10% of the variance (R&sup2; = 0.10).</span></span></span></b></span></span></span><br> <b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif">Conclusion: Emotional intelligence showed a weak positive association with attitudes toward fertility and childbearing among the women studied. Self-awareness and empathy demonstrated the strongest associations among the EI dimensions. Further longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to determine the direction and practical significance of these relationships.</span></span></span></b> Emotional intelligence, Fertility, Childbearing, Attitudes, Women, Iran 0 0 http://jpmed.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1523-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 raheleh charmchi charmchirahillll@gmail.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran parisa moradimajd moradimajd.p@gmail.com Yes Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran atieh sadat sajadi a.sadat.sajadi76@gmail.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran shahnam sedigh maroufi shsmphd@gmail.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran mahdieh ramezani darya.r731@gmail.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran zahra pirdadeh beiranvand z.beiranvandofficial@gmail.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran azam saei saei.azam@yahoo.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mina Namvar mnamvar521@gmail.com No Department of Anesthesia technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran