Background: To study infertility-related stress among women as the experience of infertility can be extremely stressful and associated with a range of psychiatric problems in infertile women, to examine its relationship with their coping to stress and marital satisfaction and to study some of the risk factors which may lead to psychiatric disorders.
Objective: In this study, we have analyzed the psychiatric problems of infertile women, their coping to stressful life events and marital satisfaction among them.
Subjects and methods: In a cross sectional study 30 infertile women (15 explained, 15 unexplained infertility) were randomly selected and advised to a clinical psychiatric assessment and to fill up Stressful Life Events Coping questionnaire and Marital Satisfaction Inventory. After obtaining their consents, psychiatric problems such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, panic, somatoform disorders and personality profile were assessed. Also their coping to stressful life events and marital satisfaction were studied. Results were analyzed and compared with results from 10 fertile women.
Results: According to a clinical psychiatric assessment and Stressful Life Events Coping questionnaire and Marital Satisfaction Inventory, major depression, anxiety disorders, co-morbid anxiety & depression and premenstrual dysphoric disorder were significantly more frequent in infertile women. Considering somatization and personality disorders there was no significant difference between infertile and fertile women. Pathological coping to stress and marital dissatisfaction, on the other hand were significantly higher among infertile females.
Conclusions: Infertility may be considered as one of the major casual factor in depression and anxiety disorders, negative coping to stress and showed marital dissatisfaction.
|
