Spouse's coping strategies mediate the relationship between women's coping strategies and their psychological health among infertile couples

Design and psychometric evaluation of the collaborative coping with infertility questionnaire in candidate of assisted reproductive techniques

Evaluating couples' coping with infertility and its impact on their mental health is valuable in designing supportive programs. Since infertility is a shared problem in married life, coping with it requires collaborative coping strategies. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to design and psychometrically evaluate the collaborative coping with infertility questionnaire (CCIQ) in candidates of assisted reproductive techniques (ART). The exploratory factor analysis of a 27-item questionnaire designed based on the Likert scale in the Persian language was evaluated through the principal component analysis method in a cross-sectional study conducted on 200 couples who volunteered for ART. The cut-off point of factor loadings was considered 0.4. Furthermore, the criterion validity of the questionnaire was evaluated using a 12-item revised Fertility Adjustment Scale (R-FAS) and its relationship with the score of the CCIQ. Moreover, the internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficient. In the exploratory factor analysis, 20 items with a factor loading above 0.4 were extracted under three factors. The three extracted factors with a value above one explained 43.78% of the variance of CCIQ. The factor loading of the accepted items ranged between 0.402 and 0.691. External reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.98. The relationship between CCIQ and R-FAS score was significant (p < 0.0001). The results of the study showed that the 20-item CCIQ enjoyed acceptable validity and reliability in the three dimensions of 'dynamic interaction,' 'reorganizing married life goals,' and 'perception about infertility,' which can be used to evaluate collaborative coping with infertility questionnaire in ART candidates.

Exploring the psycho-social burden of infertility: Perspectives of infertile couples in Cape Coast, Ghana

Infertility is a complex and often sensitive issue with far-reaching psycho-social ramifications for couples and their families. This study therefore seeks to delve into the psycho-social burden of infertility in Cape Coast, a major city in Ghana. Specifically, we explored the impact of infertility on the psychological and social health of infertile couples receiving fertility treatment. It also delves into the strategies they adopt to cope with their conditions. The study employs a qualitative approach to inquiry using phenomenology as a study design to explore the experiences of the study participants. In-depth interviews were conducted using interview guides, voice recorded and transcribed verbatim. Both inductive and deductive/framework coding techniques were used to code the data leading to the generation of themes and sub-themes. The results show that most of the study participants dealing with infertility faced psychological burdens from different sources including their families, society and themselves. These burdens take a toll on their mental health, pushing them into a state of desperation and depression. It was, however, revealed that infertile couples are able to cope with the help of their family, spouses and the church. Curiously, some of them opt for withdrawal from social events as a coping mechanism. Infertility exerts an enormous negative psycho-social impact on affected couples, especially women. The family and society serve as the main sources of stressors for infertile couples. Therefore, programmes that are aimed at fertility treatment should deliberately consider addressing the psychosocial burden of infertility through education targeting actors, especially interpersonal-level actors.