Comparison of Self-esteem in Fertile and Infertile Women

Abstract

Background & Aim: Childbearing is one of the purposes of marriage and having no child could have a negative impact on various aspects of women's lives. The aim of this study was to compare the self-esteem of fertile and infertile women. Material & Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was carried out among 200 fertile and infertile women (100 fertile and 100 infertile) referred to the Research Centre for Reproductive and gynecological clinic of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2013. Sampling in the fertile and infertile women was done by purposive and cluster random method respectively. Self-esteem was assessed by Cooper Semite's inventory. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics (Independent ttest, Chi-square, ANOVA and Pearson correlation test) using SPSS-PC (v/21). Results: Mean score of self-esteem in fertile and infertile group was 81/09 ± 24/6 and 69/83 ± 21 respectively (p = 0/001). There was a significant relationship between self-esteem and age, duration of infertility, education, income, and housing in infertile group (p=0/001). Conclusion: The findings revealed that infertile women had lower self-esteem than fertile women. It seems that healthcare providers, in addition to handling the physical dimensions of health, should pay attention to the psychological aspects of this group of women.

The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on self-esteem among couples with infertility

“…The mean of participants' age was 30.70 ± 4.27 in the intervention group and 32.43 ± 5.37 in the control group and the between-group difference was not significant. Two previous studies reported significant inverse correlation between age and SE among infertile couples (4) and infertile women (14). Our findings also showed that most participants in the intervention group (73.3% of women and 66.7% of men) and the control group (66.7% of women and 73.3% of men) had secondary diploma and the between-group difference was not significant.…”

“…Moreover, most male participants in these groups were self-employed (53.3% vs. 60%) with no significant between-group difference. A previous study into the SE of fertile and infertile women also showed that 67% of fertile women and 70% of infertile women were housewife (14). Another study reported that employed women had higher SE than housewife women (25).…”

“…A study showed that infertility reduces SE and leads to consequences such as anxiety and depression (13). Another study showed that the mean score of SE among infertile women was significantly less than their fertile counterparts (69.83 ± 21 vs. 81.09 ± 24.6) (14). Another study also reported that compared with fertile couples, infertile couples had lower SE (32.7 ± 8 and 27.3 ± 8.9) (15).…”

Effects of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy on Infertility Self-efficacy, Dyadic Adjustment, and Sexual Satisfaction in Infertile Couples

“…Therefore, self-efficacy is a critical characteristic to cope with infertility (Ebrahimifar et al 2018). Numerous studies reported a decline in the self-efficacy of infertile women due to low self-esteem (Zare, Bahrami & Soleimani 2014;Moghaddam Tabrizi & Feizbakhsh 2015), high levels of stress (Ebrahimifar et al 2018), poor mindfulness, and emotional intelligence (Heidari & Latifnejad 2010), poor psychological wellbeing (Mazaheri & Bahramian 2016), and poor mental health (Hosseini et al 2018). Therefore, therapies designed to improve self-efficacy are closely associated with self-esteem, stress reduction, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, psychological wellbeing, and mental health.…”