The relationship between social support and the intention of childbearing in women of reproductive age

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social support and the intention of childbearing among Iranian women.
This study was conducted on 822 fertile women (15-49 years), referring to 26 public and private healthcare facilities. They were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method from the 5 metropolitan areas of the north, south, east, west and center of Tehran, Iran. Data were collected by a valid and reliable questionnaire.
About 67.3% (n = 553) of women mentioned their childbearing intention in the next three years and 32.7% (n = 269) reported no intention of childbearing. Multivariate regression analysis showed no significant relationship between social support and intention of childbearing. Also, there was a direct and significant relationship between age and the intention of childbearing (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.05-1.36); P-value = 0.005). In addition, variables such as the level of education (OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85-0.99; P-value= 0.03) and household economic status (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.31-0.92); P-value= 0.02) showed a reverse relationship with the intention of giving birth to a child.
Demographic factors, including age, education and household economic status were strong determinants of childbearing intention among women living in Tehran.