Effects of Irrational Parenthood Cognition, Family Support, and Resilience on Depression of Infertile Women

Global prevalence of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety, stress, and depression among infertile women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the global prevalence of infertility has increased among women (Talmor and Dunphy, Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 29(4):498-506, 2015) and is considered as a public health concern. One of the impacts of infertility is mental health problems in the patients, which can lead to complications such as stress, anxiety, and depression. The aim of this study is to investigate the global prevalence of major depressive disorder, general anxiety, stress, and depression in infertile women through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

To identify studies that have reported the prevalence of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety, stress, and depression in infertile women, the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar repositories were systematically searched. Articles published up until February 2023 were included, while no lower time limit was imposed in the search strategy. Heterogeneity of studies was examined using the I2 test and, thus, random-effects model was used to perform the analysis. Data analysis was conducted within the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (v.2) software.

RESULTS

In the review of 44 studies with a sample size of 53,300 infertile female patients, the overall prevalence of major depressive disorder (clinical depression), generalized anxiety, stress, and depression was found to be 22.9%, 13.3%, 78.8%, and 31.6% respectively. It was also found that mental health complications are more prevalent among infertile women in Asia (continent).

CONCLUSION

Considering the prevalence of mental disorders among infertile women, health policymakers can use the results of the present meta-analysis to pay more attention to the mental health of infertile women and devise suitable interventions and programs to reduce and prevent the spread of psychological disorders among infertile women.

Types and Characteristics of Stress Coping in Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment in Korea

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and predictors of types of stress coping in women undergoing infertility treatment. The cross-sectional study included 120 women who were receiving infertility treatment at infertility hospitals. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure. K-means cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression were used to examine the characteristics and predictors of stress-coping types. Out of all the women undergoing infertility treatment who completed a self-report survey, 30.8% had a weak mixed coping type, 35.9% had a strong mixed coping type, and 33.3% had a passive coping type. The strong mixed treatment type was compared to weak mixed treatment type, with the following results: infertility adaptation (OR = 17.71, p < 0.000), spousal support (OR = 4.50, p = 0.021), infertility counseling experience (OR = 7.14, p = 0.010). Comparing the strong mixed coping type with the passive coping type, resilience (OR = 9.11, p < 0.000) was shown. It is necessary to strengthen resilience and provide a receptive attitude and spousal support to women undergoing infertility adaptation to help them relieve stress and develop functional coping.

Associations of Symptoms of Depression, Social Support, and Quality of Life Among Korean Women Who Experience Infertility

OBJECTIVE

To describe the quality of life (QOL) of Korean women experiencing infertility based on sociodemographic and infertility characteristics and to examine the associations among symptoms of depression, social support, and QOL.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, descriptive study.

SETTING

Participants were recruited from July to August 2019 on one of the largest South Korean websites where individuals share pregnancy and parenthood experiences.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult women (N = 186) who received infertility treatment.

METHODS

Participants completed an online survey using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 to measure symptoms of depression, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Support, and the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQOL) scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, analysis of variance, and multiple regression.

RESULTS

There was a significant negative relationship between scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and FertiQOL (r = -0.557) and a significant positive relationship between scores on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Support and FertiQOL (r = 0.404). The length of time from diagnosis of infertility to data collection, past and current treatments, cost burden, and degree of inhibition of daily life due to infertility also significantly affected participants' FertiQOL scores. Symptoms of depression, the burden of treatment, and inhibition of daily life activities explained 46% of the variance in QOL.

CONCLUSION

Women experiencing infertility and symptoms of depression had lower FertiQOL scores. Health care providers, who are most familiar with and attentive to patients, could provide a first line of defense against poor QOL in this population. By continuously assessing the levels of psychosocial stress in women with infertility, nurses could provide timely resources and design interventions to improve women's QOL.