The Effects of Infertility on Parent--Child Relationships and Adjustment

Abstract

As medical technology has improved, greater numbers of previously infertile couples have been able to conceive. Evidence of idealized views of parenting and unrealistic expectations for their children has fueled speculation about a possible negative impact of infertility on parent-child relationships. We evaluated the impact of past infertility on parent and child adjustment. Women with a history of infertility (N = 45) or who had voluntarily delayed pregnancy (n = 45) and who had achild 5 years old or younger completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and Child Behavior Checklist. Results showed that mothers who were at one time infertile did not report significantly greater adjustment difficulties for themselves or their children than a comparable group of parents who voluntarily delayed pregnancy. The control group did report significantly higher scores on several subscales of the PSI, indicating that they felt more restricted, isolated, and unsupported than the group with a history of infertility. Neither of the groups, however, showed clinically significant scores on either of the dependent measures. The positive implications of the results are discussed.Requests for reprints should be sent to Keith D. Allen, Meyer Rehabilitation Institute,

Exploring Motivations to Adopt

“…Often cited throughout the literature is Burns ' (1990) exploratory study with a small non-representative sample, which concluded that parents receiving treatment for infertility self-reported greater overprotective, abusive, and neglectful behaviors than parents in the comparison group (Allen, Maguire, Williams, & Sanger, 1996;Golombok, MacCallum, Goodman, & Rutter, 2002;Sandelowski, 1995). In reviewing the research that has been completed on parenthood after assisted reproduction, Hammarberg, Fisher, and Wynter (2008) underscore the contradictory results of existing studies but suggest that parents who conceive after assisted reproduction may idealize parenthood and therefore have a difficult time adjusting to their new roles.…”

Effect of infertility on mothers' and fathers' interactions with young infants

“…Infertile mothers report somewhat more relational problems than normally fertile mothers though the differences were not statistically significant (Raoul-Duval et al , 1993). Self-reported emotional involvement and interactional quality was similar for infertile, adoptive, and fertile mothers of preschool-aged children (Golombok et al, 1995), and mothers with a history of infertility reported less parenting stress than fertile mothers (Allen et al, 1996). Adoptive and biological children did not differ on maternal-infant attachment as measured with the Strange Situation Paradigm (Rosenboom, 1993;Singer et al, 1985).…”

Parents of 5-year-old in vitro fertilization children: Psychological adjustment, parenting stress and the influence of subsequent in vitro fertilization treatment.

“…A number of studies of IVF parents of older children actually report more positive adjustment in IVF or previously infertile parents (Allen, Maguire, Williams, & Sanger, 1996;Golombok et al, 1996;Golombok, Cook, Bish, & Murray, 1995;van Balen, 1996). Golombok et al (1995Golombok et al ( , 1996 reported that compared with naturally conceiving couples, IVF mothers and fathers of children between 4 and 8 years of age reported lower levels of anxiety and marital difficulties and IVF mothers (but not fathers) reported less depression.…”