Volume 37, Issue 150 (November 2024)                   IJN 2024, 37(150): 336-349 | Back to browse issues page

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Fouladi talari M, Neisani Samani L, kheyrkhah M, Haghani S. Work-related Stress and Attitude Towards Childbearing in Married Female Employees of Hospitals Affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. IJN 2024; 37 (150) :336-349
URL: http://ijn.iums.ac.ir/article-1-3796-en.html
Work-related Stress and Attitude Towards Childbearing in Married Female Employees of Hospitals Affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences
Maryam Fouladi talari1 , Leila Neisani Samani2 , Masoomeh Kheyrkhah3 , Shima Haghani4
1- Department of Midwifery Education, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. , neisanisamani.l@iums.ac.ir
3- Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Nursing and Midwifery Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
4- Educational Group of Biological Statisticst, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Attitude, Childbearing, Job satisfaction, Work-related stress
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Introduction
One of the serious challenges of human societies is the reduced desire of couples to have children, which has reduced population growth. The first important factor in the formation of fertility intention is the person's attitude towards childbearing. Attitudes are influenced by various factors, which can play an important role in family decisions by affecting family conditions and work-family conflict.  Work-related stress can reduce fertility intention, especially in employed women. Healthcare workers experience higher work-related stress. Their attitude towards fertility can influence society's attitude towards fertility. This study aims to investigate the work-related stress and attitude towards childbearing in married women working in clinical settings of hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran.

Method
This is a cross-sectional correlational study conducted from August to December 2023. Participants were 470 married female employees of hospitals affiliated to the IUMS, who were selected by quota random sampling method. Inclusion criteria were at least six months of employment in the study hospitals, age 20-49 years, at least a high school diploma, no mental illnesses according to self-report or based on the medical records, no substance abuse in couples, having a maximum of two children, and monogamy. Exclusion criteria were incomplete response to the questionnaires.
 The data collection tools were a sociodemographic form (surveying age, marital status, educational level, monthly income, work experience, employment status, shift work, working hours per week, having other jobs, number of children, spouse's education, spouse's occupation), the health and safety executive (HSE) questionnaire (with seven domains of demands, control, supervisor support, peer support, relationships, role, and changes) and the Attitudes toward Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS) by Söderberg et al. Questionnaires were completed in 30 minutes in a quiet environment outside the ward and clinical environment. Pearson's correlation test, independent t-test, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data in SPSS software, version 20 software. The significance level was set at 0.05.

Results
The mean age of the participants was 36.29±5.26 years, and most of them had a bachelor's degree (55.7%) and rotating work shifts (50.4%). The mean AFCS score was 65.89±12.24, and the mean HSE score was 106.08 ± 23.76. Among the HSE domains, the control domain had the highest score, and the peer support domain had the lowest score. The total HSE score (r=-0.684, P<0.001) and all its dimensions had a negative and significant relationship with the AFCS score (P<0.05). The AFCS score was significantly different based on shift work (P=0.002), employment status (P=0.035), number of children (P=0.015), having a job in other hospitals (P=0.004), and monthly income (P<0.001). The HSE score was significantly different based on work shift (P<0.001) and number of children (P=0.010). Job satisfaction had a significant relationship with the AFCS and HSE scores (P<0.001). 

Conclusion
The AFCS and HSE scores of married women working in the IUMS hospitals are at a moderate level. These women should receive more attention from hospital managers to reduce their work-related stress and increase their desire to have children by using effective and practical interventions. Work-related stress can reduce the attitude towards childbearing. Job satisfaction can improve this attitude. 

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines
Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.IUMS.REC.1402.280). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The study objectives and methods were explained to them and they were assured of the confidentiality of their information. 

Funding
This paper was extracted from the master’s thesis of Maryam Fouladi Talari, funded by Iran University of Medical Sciences.

Authors' contributions
Conceptualization and Supervision: Leila Neisani Samani; Consultation: Masoomeh Kheyrkhah; Initial draft preparation, project management, review & editing: Maryam Fouladi Talari; Data analysis: Shima Haghani.

Conflict of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all women who participated in this study and the Deputy for Research of Iran University of Medical Sciences for the financial support.




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Type of Study: Research | Subject: Midwifery
Received: 2024/03/12 | Accepted: 2024/10/1 | Published: 2024/10/31
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