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Research Article: Emotional intelligence and childbearing affective reward expectation among female healthcare workers: the chain mediating roles of family emotional labor strategies and emotional exhaustion—evidence from Anhui Province, China

Date Published: 2026-09-11

Abstract:
To investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and childbearing affective reward expectation, and analyze the potential roles of family emotional labor strategies and emotional exhaustion in this relationship. A two-stage questionnaire survey using the emotional intelligence scale, family emotional labor scale, and emotional exhaustion scale was conducted among 450 female healthcare workers from three affiliated hospitals of a medical college in Anhui Province, located in Hefei, Suzhou, and Fuyang. This study confirms a positive correlation between emotional intelligence and childbearing affective reward expectation among female healthcare workers of childbearing age and reveals the mediating roles of family emotional labor strategies and emotional exhaustion in this relationship. The findings have theoretical value and practical significance for deepening the understanding of the psychological roots of low fertility intentions and designing fertility support policies that go beyond economic incentives to address emotional needs.

Introduction:
According to national statistics, China recorded 7.92 million births and 11.31 million deaths in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year of negative population growth. China’s demographic development faces the long-term challenge of a sustained decline in the total fertility rate. Previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of economic factors such as education and housing ( 1–3 ), and institutional constraints, such as maternity allowances and childcare services, on fertility ( 4 , 5 ). However, even…

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