Background and Objective: Given the declining fertility rate in Iran, identifying factors influencing childbearing intentions has become critically important. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between lifestyle, mental health, and spiritual well-being with childbearing intentions among couples preparing for marriage in Babol County.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 440 marriage-registered individuals (220 men and 220 women) were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires, including the Childbearing Tendency Questionnaire (score range: 8-40), the BASIS-A Lifestyle Inventory (score range: 62-310), the BSI-18 Mental Health Scale (score range: 0-72), and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) (score range: 20-120). The data were analyzed in SPSS version 22 using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and logistic regression (significance level: p<0.05).
Findings: The desire for childbearing showed a significant positive correlation with lifestyle variables (p=0.026, B=0.04) and spiritual health (p<0.001, B=0.30), but a significant negative correlation with mental health (p<0.001, B=-0.39). Additionally, age (p<0.001, B=-0.23) and education level (p<0.001, B=-1.76) also demonstrated significant negative correlations with the desire for childbearing. In the multivariate analysis, spiritual health emerged as a key factor in predicting the desire for childbearing among couples preparing for marriage. Specifically, for every one-unit increase in spiritual health, the desire for childbearing increased by 0.5 units (p<0.001, B=0.5).
Conclusion: Enhancing spiritual well-being may serve as an effective strategy to increase childbearing intentions. It is recommended that educational programs focused on strengthening spiritual well-being be designed for couples.