The Comparison of Infertility Stress and Perceived Social Support in Infertile Women and Spouses of Infertile Men

Abstract

Background & Aims: Infertility is a stressful condition, which could adversely affect the mental health of couples. Although the diagnosis and treatment fertility may be a frustrating crisis affecting both spouses and causing mental distress, a sense of loneliness, disappointment, and lack of control, it seems that these issues are more apparent in women than men since the physical and mental burden of infertility and the consequences of the possible failure mostly falls on women. Women (especially in eastern communities and Iranian women) live in a culture in which having a child and fertility are revered more than other communities. Even when a woman is fertile and has an infertile spouse, infertility stress is experienced similarly since regardless of the cause of infertility, the outcome is eventually is childlessness. The social stigmas experienced by infertile women become more intense when they do not enjoy familial support, causing depression in these women. Therefore, the social support of these individuals could play a key role in their adaptation process to the issue of infertility. In Iran, several studies have been focused on the quality of life and psychological issues of infertile individuals, while most of these studies have investigated the psychological issues of infertile women without much regard for the spouses of infertile men. The present study aimed to compare infertility stress and perceived social support in infertile women and the spouses of the infertile men referring to Akbar Abadi Teaching Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 164 infertile women and 93 spouses of infertile men referring to the infertility clinic of Akbar Abadi hospital in Tehran during 2015-2016. After obtaining the required permit from Iran University of Medical Sciences by the researcher and co-researcher, they visited the clinic on working days for sampling. After providing the necessary explanations to the hospital authorities and conforming to ethical principles (e.g., obtaining written consent), continuous sampling was performed until the completion of the sample size. The inclusion criteria were the Iranian nationality of the couples, infertility in only one spouse, willingness to participate in the study, absence of chronic physical diseases or known mental disorders, and no consumption of the medications affecting the nervous system by the couples. The subjects were allowed to withdraw from the study at any stages. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Newton infertility stress inventory, and the functional social support questionnaire, which were completed in a self-report manner or with the help of the researcher, enquiring the subjects, and review of their medical records. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics, including Chi-square and independent t-test at the significance level of P<0.05. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two study groups in terms of ag...

Socioeconomic Status and Women’s Mental Health and Wellbeing in Male-Factor Infertility Marital Circumstances: A Scoping Review

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The effect of depression and the reframing strategy on the level of satisfaction with family life in infertile and post-miscarriage couples: dyadic analyzes

“…Infertility and the process of its treatment may threaten the feeling of control over the course and outcome of treatment, as well as violate the sense of privacy in the details of the couple's intimate life. When faced with stress related to infertility, women react with anxiety and a lower quality of life (Rooney & Domar, 2018), anxiety, depression and regret (Amini, Ghorbani, Afshar, 2020;Galhardo, Alves, Moura-Ramos, & Cunha, 2020).…”

Perceived Partner’s Self-Control and Social Support Effects on Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Experiencing Infertility or Miscarriage: Dyadic Analyses

“…The diagnosis of infertility and then the process of its treatment—medical procedures that often exceed the couple’s intimacy barrier [ 3 ]—are sources of many anxieties related to the feeling of guilt, shame, and fear of childlessness [ 4 ]. As a consequence, infertile couples experience elevated levels of anxiety and depression [ 5 , 6 ], which is associated with a lower quality of their life [ 7 ]. Similarly, the loss of a pregnancy can be a source of a serious crisis, evoking intense emotions related to the loss of a child and dreams of motherhood [ 8 ].…”

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