Examining the Role of Dyadic Coping on the Marital Adjustment of Couples Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

Abstract

A couple is considered to be infertile if unable to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. An extended body of literature supports that infertility and infertility treatments contribute to emotional, social, sexual, and relational issues that can have a negative impact on each partner's well-being and on the couple relationship. Recent findings suggest that a dyadic approach should be used when working with couples coping with these stressors. However, most research to date has focused on the association between infertility and individual's psychological outcomes, rather than on the experience of infertility-related stress and coping from a relational perspective. Consequently, assuming that infertility is a dyadic stressor and that the ability of the partners to cope with this experience is the result of both individual and relational coping strategies, this study aimed to investigate dyadic coping and marital adjustment among couples at the beginning of an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment. A sample of 167 heterosexual couples (N = 334) undergoing ART treatment at the fertility clinic of a large hospital in Milan from January to December 2017 was recruited. Each participant completed self-reported questionnaires examining marital adjustment (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and dyadic coping (Dyadic Coping Questionnaire). Demographics and clinical variables were also collected. Data were analyzed using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), testing the effect of each partner's dyadic coping style on their own and their partner's marital adjustment. Results revealed that both women and partners' scores on positive dyadic coping styles (common, emotion-focused, problem-focused, and delegated dyadic coping) contributed to higher marital adjustment. This result suggests that couples unable to engage in this type of reciprocal supportive behaviors and those unsatisfied with their coping efforts may be more vulnerable while undergoing ART treatments. Furthermore, findings highlighted some gender differences for stress communication and negative dyadic coping suggesting the presence of specific dynamics within couples facing an ART treatment. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Interaction Between Coping Strategies Among Infertile Couples and Women’s Psychological Symptoms

“…The inverse relation of women's using of GR strategy with negative psychological symptoms and positive relation of men's using of MD strategy with their anxiety level are the other findings of this research. These results are in direction of the other researches reports which have shown the positive effects of using this strategy in faced with the crisis in men and women [21,22]. Also, the inverse effects of using avoidance strategies on psychological health of infertile couples have already been reported [12,23], but despite these reports, in the present research there was no significant relationship between women's using of avoidance strategy and their psychological health indices.…”

Relationship Behaviors across the Transition to Parenthood

“…DC has been shown to be beneficial for couples facing a wide range of stressors such as breast cancer (Kraemer, Stanton, Meyerowitz, Rowland, & Ganz, 2011), infertility (Molgora et al, 2019) or daily stress (Falconier, Nussbeck, Bodenmann, Schneider, & Bradbury, 2015; Merz, Meuwly, Randall, & Bodenmann, 2014). Moreover, DC is associated with relationship stability (Ruffieux et al, 2014).…”

Re-examining the Role of Coping Strategies in the Associations Between Infertility-Related Stress Dimensions and State-Anxiety: Implications for Clinical Interventions With Infertile Couples

“…In addition, although research increasingly emphasizes that infertility condition may have a significant impact on both partners of infertile couples, some gender differences were also reported (e.g., Berghuis and Stanton, 2002 ; Ying et al, 2015 ; Molgora et al, 2019 ). However, whether the majority of studies underlined that women perceive higher levels of infertility-related stress ( Cserepes et al, 2013 ; Luk and Loke, 2015 ) and anxiety ( El Kissi et al, 2013 ; Ying et al, 2015 ; Schaller et al, 2016 ), mixed evidence on gender differences in coping strategies were found.…”