{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T05:07:12Z","timestamp":1789103232881,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789084800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1850042","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T04:32:43Z","timestamp":1789101163000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Emotional intelligence and childbearing affective reward expectation among female healthcare workers: the chain mediating roles of family emotional labor strategies and emotional exhaustion\u2014evidence from Anhui Province, China"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Xiao","family":"Chang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Anhui Medical University, Affiliated Hospital 1","place":["Hefei, China"]},{"name":"MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jin","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, China"]},{"name":"School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guiping","family":"Gong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Anhui Medical University, Affiliated Hospital 1","place":["Hefei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Panpan","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Anhui Medical University, Affiliated Hospital 1","place":["Hefei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haifeng","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, China"]},{"name":"School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e33939","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2024.e33939","article-title":"Third birth intention of the working women with two existing children in Hainan Island, China: the impact of fertility costs and utility","volume":"10","author":"Qiu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1686244","DOI":"10.3389\/fsoc.2025.1686244","article-title":"The influence of the value of children on the fertility intentions of people of childbearing age in China","volume":"10","author":"Fang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Sociol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1608694","article-title":"Does inhabitant's fertility intention respond to housing status in the urban built environment: evidence from China","volume":"13","author":"Zhuang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101596","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lanwpc.2025.101596","article-title":"Reversing fertility decline in Japan with foreign pro-natalist policies, 1990-2035: a systematic review and secondary data analysis","volume":"59","author":"Rahman","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet Reg Health West Pac"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1007\/s10680-025-09746-6","article-title":"Formal childcare use and mothers' fertility intentions and behaviours: evidence in Italy by migration background","volume":"41","author":"Miaci","year":"2025","journal-title":"Eur J Popul"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2049","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-19416-7","article-title":"Emotional fertility intention and its correlates in Ethiopia among married contraceptive user women: using linked community and health facility data from performance monitoring for action; a generalized ordered logistics regression modeling","volume":"24","author":"Damtew","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1108\/ijcma-03-2021-0050","article-title":"The buffering role of emotional intelligence in conflict transformation","volume":"33","author":"Ullah","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Confl Manag"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1111\/jan.12185","article-title":"Emotional rescue: the role of emotional intelligence and emotional labour on well-being and job-stress among community nurses","volume":"70","author":"Karimi","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Adv Nurs"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1113","DOI":"10.1080\/09585192.2016.1180313","article-title":"Emotional labor and family quality: the role of work-family positive spillover","volume":"29","author":"Liu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Hum Resour Manag"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"703","DOI":"10.1177\/0192513x211054472","article-title":"Emotion work and gender inequality in transnational family life","volume":"44","author":"Ch\u00e1vez","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Fam Issues"},{"key":"ref11","first-page":"41","article-title":"The mechanism of parenting practices impeding the fertility intention for another child: evidence from couples with children in Shanghai","volume":"43","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Univ Chin Acad Soc Sci"},{"key":"ref12","first-page":"131","article-title":"\u201cFinding sweetness in the burden\u201d: a study on family emotional labor of young mothers from the perspective of fertility-friendly","volume":"4","author":"Wei","year":"2025","journal-title":"YueLu Public Governance"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"887352","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.887352","article-title":"Unlocking the effect of supervisor incivility on work withdrawal behavior: conservation of resource perspective","volume":"13","author":"Khalid","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1006","DOI":"10.1111\/famp.12906","article-title":"The third shift: addressing emotion work in couple therapy","volume":"62","author":"Smoliak","year":"2023","journal-title":"Fam Process"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"232","DOI":"10.1016\/j.leaqua.2013.08.003","article-title":"Do emotionally perceptive leaders motivate higher employee performance? The moderating role of task interdependence and power distance","volume":"25","author":"Vidyarthi","year":"2014","journal-title":"Leadersh Q"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"548","DOI":"10.1177\/01939459211005712","article-title":"Job characteristics, emotional exhaustion, and work-family conflict in nurses","volume":"44","author":"Rh\u00e9aume","year":"2022","journal-title":"West J Nurs Res"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.1080\/10413200.2015.1092481","article-title":"Affectivity, emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, and emotional intelligence in coaching","volume":"28","author":"Lee","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Appl Sport Psychol"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1488","DOI":"10.1108\/intr-06-2022-0390","article-title":"How social media fatigue feigning and altering emotion discourage the use of social media","volume":"34","author":"Hsu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Internet Res"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1016\/s1048-9843(02)00099-1","article-title":"The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude","volume":"13","author":"Wong","year":"2002","journal-title":"Leadersh Q"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"551","DOI":"10.1086\/227049","article-title":"Emotion work, feeling rules, and social structure","volume":"85","author":"Hochschild","year":"1979","journal-title":"Am J Sociol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jvb.2004.02.001","article-title":"The dimensionality and antecedents of emotional labor strategies","volume":"66","author":"Diefendorff","year":"2005","journal-title":"J Vocat Behav"},{"key":"ref22","first-page":"673","article-title":"Difference scores: rationale, formulation, and interpretation","volume":"20","author":"Bedeian","year":"1994","journal-title":"J Manag"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"592","DOI":"10.3102\/1076998620986948","article-title":"Estimating difference-score reliability in pretest\u2013posttest settings","volume":"46","author":"Gu","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Educ Behav Stat"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"436","DOI":"10.1111\/joop.12088","article-title":"Compassion organizing: employees' satisfaction with corporate philanthropic disaster response and reduced job strain","volume":"88","author":"Watkins","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Occup Organ Psychol"},{"key":"ref25","first-page":"84","article-title":"Investigation of and study on impact of fertility value of youth of childbearing age on their planning for pregnancy: based on the analysis on mediating role of bearing supports","author":"Zhi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Stud Social Chin Charact"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1885","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18041885","article-title":"Problematic social media use and health among adolescents","volume":"18","author":"Paakkari","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1783872","article-title":"The relationship between emotional intelligence and communication skills in older adults: a cross-sectional study","volume":"14","author":"D\u00fczg\u00fcn","year":"2026","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S462","DOI":"10.1192\/j.eurpsy.2021.1234","article-title":"Emotional intelligence as a factor in the efficient self-regulation of functional states under work strain","volume":"64","author":"Zlokazova","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.892421","article-title":"The influence of emotional intelligence on job burnout of healthcare workers and mediating role of workplace violence: a cross sectional study","volume":"10","author":"Cao","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"614","DOI":"10.1186\/s12912-025-03280-w","article-title":"The Effect of Work-Family Conflict on Staff Nurses\u2019 Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence","volume":"24","author":"Aldhafeeri","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Nursing"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"437","DOI":"10.1038\/s41562-026-02401-y","article-title":"Why single-item measures of wellbeing are best","volume":"10","author":"Helliwell","year":"2026","journal-title":"Nat Hum Behav"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1850042\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T04:32:52Z","timestamp":1789101172000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1850042\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]]},"references-count":31,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1850042"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1850042","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]]},"article-number":"1850042"}}