A Predictive Model of Fertility Inclination Based on Psychological Hardiness and Cognitive Flexibility with the Mediating Role of Experiential Avoidance in Female Managers
Keywords:
psychological hardiness, cognitive flexibility, fertility inclination, perfectionism, experiential avoidance, female managersAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to develop and test a predictive model of fertility inclination based on psychological hardiness and cognitive flexibility, with experiential avoidance and perfectionism as mediators among female managers.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of female managers working in Tehran Municipality districts 4, 5, and 6, selected through purposive sampling. The sample size was determined as 250, with 245 completed questionnaires analyzed. Data collection instruments included the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, Psychological Hardiness Scale, Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire, Perfectionism Inventory, and Fertility Inclination Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software, and model fit indices were applied to evaluate the proposed model.
Findings: The results indicated that the proposed model demonstrated good fit. Psychological hardiness (β = 0.29) and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.18) had significant positive direct effects on fertility inclination. Perfectionism showed a significant negative direct effect (β = -0.33), while the direct effect of experiential avoidance was not significant. Both psychological hardiness and cognitive flexibility had significant negative effects on experiential avoidance and perfectionism. Bootstrapping results confirmed that experiential avoidance and perfectionism significantly mediated the relationships between predictor variables and fertility inclination.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that positive psychological traits enhance fertility inclination indirectly by reducing cognitive-emotional inhibitory factors, providing a foundation for designing psychological interventions for working women.
Downloads
References
Abu-Sharkia, S., Taubman-Ben-Ari, O., & Mofareh, A. (2023). Personal Growth and Life Satisfaction during Fertility Treatment-A Comparison between Arab and Jewish Women. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(3), 2187. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032187
Asadi Zendeh Jan, Z., & Khoshnevisan, Z. (2023). Investigating the Relationship of Ambiguity Tolerance and Experiential Avoidance with Psychological Hardiness in Students Sixth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies in Psychology, Counseling, Education, and Educational Sciences, Tehran. https://civilica.com/doc/1717023 https://civilica.com/doc/1717023
Bacıoğlu, S. D., & Kocabıyık, O. O. (2024). Perceived Stress and Psychological Resilience: The Serial Mediation of Cognitive Control and Cognitive Flexibility. Annals of Psychology/Roczniki Psychologiczne, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.18290/rpsych2024.0013
Başaran, S. K. (2022). Perfectionism: Its Structure, Transdiagnostic Nature, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 14(4), 518-525. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1082001
Begi, M., Sadeghi, R., & Hatami, A. (2021). Childbearing Intentions in Iran: Determinants and Constraints. Quarterly Journal of Strategic Cultural Studies, 1(4), 59-79.
binti Panatik, S. A., Nordin, N. A., Muhammad, S. N., & Shahrin, R. (2024). Psychosocial Factors of Work-Life Balance and Resilience among Malaysian Working Women: A Qualitative Approach. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 14(11), 377-389. https://doi.org/10.55493/5007.v14i11.5217
Bjekić, D., & Petrović, M. (2024). Biological Framework of Psychological Resilience: Literature Review 10th International Scientific Conference Technics, Informatics and Education-TIE 2024, https://doi.org/10.46793/TIE24.539B https://doi.org/10.46793/TIE24.539B
Carmo, C., Oliveira, D., Brás, M., & Faísca, L. (2021). The Influence of Parental Perfectionism and Parenting Styles on Child Perfectionism. Children, 8(9), 777. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8090777
Chbeir, S., & Carrión, V. (2023). Resilience by Design: How Nature, Nurture, Environment, and Microbiome Mitigate Stress and Allostatic Load. World journal of psychiatry, 13(5), 144-160. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v13.i5.144
Chęć, M., Konieczny, K., Michałowska, S., & Rachubińska, K. (2025). Exploring the Dimensions of Perfectionism in Adolescence: A Multi-Method Study on Mental Health and CBT-Based Psychoeducation. Brain Sciences, 15(1), 91. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15010091
Chen, T., Hou, P., Wu, T., & Yang, J. (2022). The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Fertility Intentions of Women with Childbearing Age in China. Behavioral Sciences, 12(9), 335. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12090335
Chowdhury, S. S. (2024). Career Duality and Work Performance: Insights from Women in Bangladesh.
Damian, L. E., Negru-Subtirica, O., Pop, E. I., & Stoeber, J. (2022). Becoming a Perfectionistic Adolescent: Perceived Parental Behaviors Involved in Developmental Trajectories of Perfectionism. European Journal of Personality, 36(1), 24-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211012902
Duncan-Plummer, T., Hasking, P., Tonta, K., & Boyes, M. (2023). The Relationship between Clinical Perfectionism and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: The Roles of Experiential Avoidance, Self-Esteem, and Locus of Control. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(8), 1799-1815. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23506
Hayatbini, N., Knauft, K., & Kalia, V. (2021). Cognitive Reappraisal Moderates the Relationship between Perfectionism and Cognitive Flexibility. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(7), 1685-1699. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23124
Jafari Chayjani, S. M. (2025). The Relationship between Parents' Level of Perfectionism and Children's Self-Esteem. Journal of Psychological and Educational Studies, 92, 377-388.
Kaya, M. E., Eken, F. O., & Ümmet, D. (2021). The Predictor Effect of Insight and Cognitive Flexibility on Psychological Hardiness. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 3(1).
Kaynak, H., Denizci Nazlıgül, M., & Cengil, B. B. (2024). Your Need for Cognition, Cognitive Flexibility, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies Matter! The Path beyond a Satisfied Life. The Journal of psychology, 158(7), 611-626. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2024.2352730
Keyvanlou, S., & Mikaeili, N. (2023). The Integrated Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Therapy and Compassion Therapy on Experiential Avoidance in Women with Experience of Domestic Violence. Quarterly Journal of Modern Psychological Research, 18(71), 217-223.
Khalajabadi Farahani, F., Gharacheh, M., Montazeri, S., Mirghafourvand, M., Sadeghi, T., Taheri, M., & Ranjbar, F. (2025). A Comparative Study of Premarital Fertility Knowledge, Childbearing Intentions, and Parenting Attitudes among Iranian Women and Men. Journal of Population Research, 42(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-025-09363-4
Khanjani, A., Beirami, A., & Javdan, M. (2024). Determining the Role of Psychological Hardiness and Resilience in Predicting Psychological Differentiation in Secondary School Girls of Bandar Abbas City. Journal of Community Health Research, 13(1), 285-293. https://doi.org/10.18502/jchr.v13i32.17569
Kim, E., & Yi, J. S. (2024). Determinants of Fertility Intentions among South Koreans: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Behavioral Sciences, 14(10), 939. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100939
Koçak, O., Aslan, Y., & Bezirkan, H. S. (2025). Psychological Resilience and Trait Anxiety as Mediators in the Relationship Between Perceived Family Social Support and Life Satisfaction Among Youth. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/26408066.2025.2472238
Kotzamanis, B., & Kostaki, A. (2024). Repercussions of the Recent Economic Downturn on Birth Rates in Greece. IZA Journal of Labor Economics, 13. https://doi.org/10.62693/304gib46
Kruczek, A., Basińska, M. A., & Janicka, M. (2020). Cognitive Flexibility and Flexibility in Coping in Nurses-The Moderating Role of Age, Seniority and the Sense of Stress. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 33(4), 507-521. https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01567
Kurniawan, A., Widiantoro, W., & Rahma, I. A. (2024). Investigation of Hardiness Personality on Post-Fatigue Stress Levels in Football Athletes. MEDIKORA, 23(2), 86-94. https://doi.org/10.21831/medikora.v23i2.78642
Kwon, W., & Cho, S. (2020). Associations among Perfectionism, Anxiety, and Psychological Well.
Luhr, S., Schneider, D., & Harknett, K. (2022). Parenting without Predictability: Precarious Schedules, Parental Strain, and Work-Life Conflict. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 8(5), 24-44. https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2022.8.5.02
Mahmoudimozafar, M. (2023). Psychological Hardiness as a Protective Factor in Women Undergoing Reproductive Treatments. Psychology of Woman Journal, 4(1), 163-169. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.pwj.4.1.19
Marquardt, C., Teich, C., Stevens, K., Sponheim, S., & Polusny, M. (2022). P103. Experiential Avoidance Predicts Brain Responses to Stressful Task Demands. Biological Psychiatry, 91(9), S128-S129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.02.337
Mathapati, S., Sangoli, L., Biradar, A., Ganganahalli, P., Bhuvanendran, P., & Popuri, S. K. (2023). Contraception Awareness and Its Practise among Working Women in Institutions in North Karnataka: An Observational Survey.
Meiri, E. W. A. F., & Alfarraj, H. A. A. (2025). The Role of Learned Helplessness in Predicting Academic Procrastination Among University Students. Arts Educa, 42.
Naimi, M. H. (2022). Investigating the Relationship between the Presence of Female Managers and the Capital Structure of Companies Listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Scientific Journal of Modern Research Approaches in Management and Accounting, 6(21), 1387-1399.
Ong, C. W., Lee, E. B., Petersen, J. M., Levin, M. E., & Twohig, M. P. (2021). Is Perfectionism Always Unhealthy? Examining the Moderating Effects of Psychological Flexibility and Self-Compassion. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(11), 2576-2591. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23187
Raygani, F. S., Isa Zadegan, A., & Zeinali, S. (2022). Structural Relationships of Perfectionism with Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility and Metacognitive Beliefs. Royesh-e-Ravanshenasi, 11(7), 67-78.
Sadeghi Ool Shahr, H., Nejatifar, N., Amini, L., Sadat, Z., & Haghani, S. (2024). The Relationship between Attitudes toward Childbearing and Fertility with the Marital Quality of Life of Married Women Referring to Selected Health Centers in Kashan. Iranian Journal of Nursing, 37(148), 178-195.
Thompson, C. J., & Martin-Wagar, C. A. (2024). Cognitive Flexibility and Emotion Regulation in Eating Disorder Patients with Comorbid Generalized Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms. Eating Disorders, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4326208/v1
Yu, Y., Yu, Y., & Lin, Y. (2020). Anxiety and Depression Aggravate Impulsiveness: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Cognitive Flexibility. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 25(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2019.1601748
Zakiei, A., Khazaie, H., Rostampour, M., Lemola, S., Esmaeili, M., Dürsteler, K., & Brand, S. (2021). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Improves Sleep Quality, Experiential Avoidance, and Emotion Regulation in Individuals with Insomnia-Results from a Randomized Interventional Study. Life, 11(2), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11020133
Zhang, N., Hoch, J., Gewirtz, A., Barnes, A., & Snyder, J. (2021). Vagal Suppression Buffers against the Negative Effects of Psychological Inflexibility on Parenting Behaviors in Combat Deployed Fathers. Parenting, 21(1), 55-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2020.1804250
Zhang, Q., Dong, G., Meng, W., Chen, Z., Cao, Y., & Zhang, M. (2022). Perceived Stress and Psychological Impact among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Hospital in China during the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Moderating Role of Resilience and Social Support. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 570971. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.570971
Zhang, X. X., & Hao, X. L. (2024). How Does Fertility Pressure Affect Chinese Working Women? Negative Effects of Fertility Anxiety on Women's Work Engagement. Current Psychology, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05911-y
Zhao, J., Qi, W., Cheng, Y., Hao, R., Yuan, M., Jin, H., & Hu, J. (2024). Influence of Perceived Stress on Fertility Intention among Women of Childbearing Age without Children: Multiple Mediating Effect of Anxiety, Family Communication and Subjective Well-Being. Reproductive Health, 21(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-024-01855-5
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fariba Robat Moradi (Author); Sara Hashemi; Farhad Jomehri (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
