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

Abstract

Background Social problems and suffering from treatment process for infertile couples requires the couples use coping strategies for balancing the infertility crisis. According to the close interactions of the couples with each other, the objective of the study was assess of interrelationships between coping strategies of the infertile couples under assisted reproductive treatment and women’s psychological symptoms.Method This cross sectional research was done on 212 infertile couples undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. The using level of coping strategies, the stress, anxiety and depression levels were evaluated by using valid questionnaire. The relations between the coping strategies of the couples with each other, and also women’s stress, anxiety and depression levels were evaluated.Results The results showed the relationship between using the coping strategies by men, except understanding emotion, maintaining optimism strategies, and the coping strategies by women showed a significant relation. The results showed that the stress, anxiety and depression levels of women were positively related to the using of self-focused rumination and other blame strategies.Conclusion The couples’ coping strategies toward infertility are interacted and psychological symptoms in women’s are affected by their partners’ coping strategies and using of self-focused rumination and other blame strategies by men may effect on partners’ psychological health.